Bernice Bobs Her Hair: Difference between revisions

"Bernice Bobs Her Hair"
"Bernice Bobs Her Hair"
Short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald
	The cover of The Saturday Evening Post (May 1, 1920) containing "Bernice Bobs Her Hair". The issue marked the first time Fitzgerald's name appeared on the cover.
Text available at Wikisource
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Short story
Publication
Published in	The Saturday Evening Post; Flappers and Philosophers
Publication type	Magazine; Short Story Collection
Media type	Print
Publication date	May 1, 1920; (as short story); September 10, 1920; (in collection)

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"Bernice Bobs Her Hair" is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.^[1] It was first published in May 1920 in The Saturday Evening Post.^[2]^[3] It was Fitzgerald's first short story to achieve national prominence.^[4] The original publication featured interior illustrations by May Wilson Preston.^[5] The work later appeared in the September 1920 short story collection Flappers and Philosophers published by Charles Scribner's Sons.^[6]^[7]

Fitzgerald's short story follows the plight of a mixed-race Native American girl named Bernice from rural Eau Claire, Wisconsin, who visits her beautiful and sophisticated white cousin Marjorie in the city, presumably Saint Paul, Minnesota.^[8] In an attempt to be popular, Bernice announces she will bob her hair, but this announcement leads to unforeseen consequences.^[8]

Several decades after its publication, critic Orville Prescott of The New York Times hailed Fitzgerald's short story in 1951 as a landmark in American literature "that set social standards for a generation of young Americans, that revealed secrets of popularity and gave wonderful examples of what to say at a dinner table or on the dance floor."^[9]

Background

In 1915, a nineteen-year-old Fitzgerald attended Princeton University, and he wrote many voluminous letters to his fourteen-year-old sister Annabel Fitzgerald.^[3]^[10] As Annabel wished to make herself more socially desirable, he "attempted to refine her social skills, providing detailed instructions on popularity and improving her image."^[3]^[10]

Fitzgerald's 10-page-long letter to a disconsolate Annabel gave "advice on conversation, poise, carriage, dancing, expression, dress, and personality."^[10] Four years later, Fitzgerald used this letter for the basis of his 1919 story draft.^[10] The original draft of the story was much longer, but Fitzgerald cut nearly 3,000 words and altered the ending to make the story more attractive to slick magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post.

Fitzgerald named the title character Bernice as a reference to Berenice II of Egypt.^[11] According to legend, Berenice sacrificed her most beloved possession—her tresses—to ensure victory in warfare.^[11] For this act, the gods bestowed upon her a great honor: they placed her tresses in the heavens as the constellation Coma Berenices.^[11]

Summary

"Bernice Bobs Her Hair" illustrations by artist May Wilson Preston, May 1920.

"Well," said Marjorie, "No girl can permanently bolster up a lame-duck visitor, because these days it's every girl for herself."

"My hair—bob it!"

Bernice, a purportedly mixed-race^[a] girl from rural Eau Claire, Wisconsin, visits her beautiful and sophisticated cousin Marjorie Harvey for the month of August. At the Saturday-night dances, none of the handsome boys wish to dance with or speak to Bernice, and Marjorie feels Bernice is a drag on her social life.^[12]

One evening Bernice overhears a hurtful conversation between Marjorie and Marjorie's mother, in which Marjorie comments that Bernice is socially hopeless.^[12] She ascribes Bernice's social awkwardness and conversational reticence to Bernice's supposed Native American^[a] ancestry.^[13] "I think it's that crazy Indian blood in Bernice," remarks Marjorie. "Maybe she's a reversion to type. Indian women all just sat round and never said anything."^[13]

The next morning at breakfast, a distraught Bernice threatens to leave town, but when Marjorie is unfazed by her threats, Bernice relents.^[14] She reluctantly agrees to let Marjorie turn her into a society girl. Marjorie teaches Bernice how to hold interesting conversations, how to flirt with unattractive boys to make herself seem more desirable, and how to dance. At the next party, Bernice's best line is teasing the boys with the idea that she will soon bob her hair, and they will get to watch.^[15]

With her new coquettish demeanor, Bernice becomes popular with the local boys, especially Warren McIntyre who lives across the street. Warren has been in love with Marjorie since childhood, but she consistently neglects him. When it becomes clear Warren has shifted his romantic attentions to Bernice, a vindictive Marjorie sets about publicly humiliating Bernice by tricking her into going through with bobbing her hair.^[15]

"Do you think I ought to bob my hair, Mr. Charley Paulson?"
Charley looked up in surprise.
"Why?"
"Because I'm considering it. It's such a sure and easy way of attracting attention."

— F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"^[15]

Marjorie tells various boys Bernice never intended to bob her hair - it was merely a ploy to attract their attention. To prove Marjorie wrong, Bernice consents to be taken to a barbershop by Warren, Marjorie, and a coterie of admirers. However, after the barber bobs Bernice's hair, the boys abruptly lose interest, and Bernice realizes Marjorie tricked her.^[15]

Marjorie's mother points out that Bernice's flapper haircut will provoke a scandal at an upcoming party held in her and Marjorie's honor. Deciding it would be best to leave town before the party the next day, Bernice packs her trunk in the middle of the night and plans to leave on the next train after midnight.^[15]

Before Bernice leaves, she writes her aunt a note explaining where she went, then sneaks into Marjorie's room and shears off her sleeping cousin's two luxurious braids.^[15] Exiting the Harvey house, Bernice leaves with her luggage and Marjorie's braids. As Bernice proceeds to the train station, she notices Warren's house across the street. Realizing she was still holding the braids, Bernice tosses them onto his front porch and with a laugh, shouts, "Should have scalped^[a] the selfish thing!" ^[15] Picking up her luggage, Bernice runs down the moonlit street to the train station.^[15]

Adaptations

Julie Harris starred in a 1951 television adaption. Shelley Duvall starred in a later 1976 adaptation.

"Bernice" has been adapted twice for television.^[7] In 1951, CBS adapted the story for a Starlight Theatre episode starring 26-year-old Julie Harris as Bernice, Mary Sinclair as Marjorie and Jerry Paris as Otis.^[7] Anita Loos appeared in a cameo as herself.

In 1976, Joan Micklin Silver directed a TV production created for the PBS series The American Short Story.^[7] It starred Shelley Duvall as Bernice, Veronica Cartwright as Marjorie, and Bud Cort as Warren.^[7] Draycott Deyo was played by Patrick Reynolds (then using the stage name Patrick Byrne) and Marjorie's mother was played by Polly Holliday.^[7]

The story was later converted into a one-act play by D. D. Brooke for The Dramatic Publishing Company.^[7] It was adapted into a 2015 musical by Adam Gwon and Julia Jordan.^[16] The Irish pop group The Divine Comedy turned the story into a song on their 1993 album Liberation.

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Most scholars "consider the story's ending predominantly in terms of Bernice's supposed Native American ancestry. This analysis is rooted in an early scene in the story in which Marjorie suggests that the reason for Bernice's unpopularity is 'that crazy Indian blood' that explains her submissive nature.^[8]

Citations

^ ^a ^b Fitzgerald 1920.
^ Fitzgerald 1920, pp. 14–15, 159, 163.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bruccoli 2002, pp. 63, 107–108.
^ Tate 2007, p. 137.
^ Fitzgerald 1920, p. 14.
^ Tredell 2011, p. 175.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Hischak 2012, p. 23.
^ ^a ^b ^c Notea 2018, p. 20.
^ Prescott 1951.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Tate 2007, p. 298.
^ ^a ^b ^c McDonough 2007, pp. 226–229.
^ ^a ^b Fitzgerald 1920, pp. 14–15.
^ ^a ^b Fitzgerald 1920, p. 15.
^ Fitzgerald 1920, p. 159.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Fitzgerald 1920, p. 163.
^ Levitt 2015.

Bibliography

Bruccoli, Matthew J. (2002) [1981]. Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 1-57003-455-9. Retrieved December 24, 2019 – via Internet Archive.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott (May 1, 1920). "Bernice Bobs Her Hair". The Saturday Evening Post. Vol. 192, no. 44. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Curtis Publishing Company. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Hathi Trust.
Hischak, Thomas S. (June 18, 2012). American Literature on Stage and Screen: 525 Works and Their Adaptations. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-6842-3. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
Levitt, Hayley (October 14, 2015). "While Bernice Bobs Her Hair in Oklahoma". Theater Mania. Washington, D.C. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
McDonough, Chris (2007). "The Starry Heaven of Popular Girls: Fitzgerald's Bernice Bobs Her Hair And Catullus's Coma Berenices". The Explicator. 65 (4). Milton Park, United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis: 226–229. doi:10.3200/EXPL.65.4.226-229. S2CID 161107235.
Notea, Ya'ara (2018). "The Mad Flapper: Socialization in Fitzgerald's 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair'" (PDF). The F. Scott Fitzgerald Review. 16 (1). University Park, Pennsylvania: Penn State University Press: 18–37. doi:10.5325/fscotfitzrevi.16.1.0018. JSTOR 10.5325/fscotfitzrevi.16.1.0018. S2CID 171766709.
Prescott, Orville (March 7, 1951). "Books of The Times: Shining Up So-So Stories". The New York Times. New York City. p. 31. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
Tate, Mary Joe (2007) [1998]. Critical Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Library of American Literature. ISBN 978-0-8160-6433-5.
Tredell, Nicolas (2011). F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby/Tender is the Night. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-34673-4. Retrieved December 24, 2019.

External links

[Native_American-12] Most scholars "consider the story's ending predominantly in terms of Bernice's supposed Native American ancestry. This analysis is rooted in an early scene in the story in which Marjorie suggests that the reason for Bernice's unpopularity is 'that crazy Indian blood' that explains her submissive nature.^[8]

[FOOTNOTEFitzgerald1920-1] Fitzgerald 1920.

[FOOTNOTEFitzgerald192014–15,_159,_163-2] Fitzgerald 1920, pp. 14–15, 159, 163.

[FOOTNOTEBruccoli200263,_107–108-3] Bruccoli 2002, pp. 63, 107–108.

[FOOTNOTETate2007137-4] Tate 2007, p. 137.

[FOOTNOTEFitzgerald192014-5] Fitzgerald 1920, p. 14.

[FOOTNOTETredell2011175-6] Tredell 2011, p. 175.

[FOOTNOTEHischak201223-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Hischak 2012, p. 23.

[FOOTNOTENotea201820-8] Notea 2018, p. 20.

[FOOTNOTEPrescott1951-9] Prescott 1951.

[FOOTNOTETate2007298-10] Tate 2007, p. 298.

[FOOTNOTEMcDonough2007226–229-11] McDonough 2007, pp. 226–229.

[FOOTNOTEFitzgerald192014–15-13] Fitzgerald 1920, pp. 14–15.

[FOOTNOTEFitzgerald192015-14] Fitzgerald 1920, p. 15.

[FOOTNOTEFitzgerald1920159-15] Fitzgerald 1920, p. 159.

[FOOTNOTEFitzgerald1920163-16] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Fitzgerald 1920, p. 163.

[FOOTNOTELevitt2015-17] Levitt 2015.

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@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 | name          = Bernice Bobs Her Hair
 | image         = Fitzgerald, Saturday evening post.png
-| caption       = The cover of the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' (May 1, 1920) containing "Bernice Bobs Her Hair". The issue marked the first time Fitzgerald's name appeared on the cover.
+| caption       = The cover of ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'' (May 1, 1920) containing "Bernice Bobs Her Hair". The issue marked the first time Fitzgerald's name appeared on the cover.
 | author        = [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]]
 | country       = United States
-| language      = English
+| language      = [[English language|English]]
-| series        =
 | genre         = [[Short story]]
-| published_in  = ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]''<br />''[[Flappers and Philosophers]]''
+| published_in  = ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]''<br />''[[Flappers and Philosophers]]''
 | publication_type = Magazine<br />Short Story Collection
 | media_type    = Print
-| pub_date      = May 1, 1920<br />(as short story)<br />September 10, 1920<br />(in collection)
+| pub_date      = May 1, 1920{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920}}<br />(as short story)<br />September 10, 1920<br />(in collection)
+| wikisource    = Bernice Bobs Her Hair
 }}
-"'''Bernice Bobs Her Hair'''" is a [[short story]] by [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], written in [[1920 in literature|1920]] and first published in the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' in May of that year.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|pp=14-15, 159, 163}}{{sfn|Bruccoli|1981|p=66}} The story was illustrated by [[May Wilson Preston]].{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=14}} The story appeared shortly thereafter on September 10, 1920, in Fitzgerald's anthology ''[[Flappers and Philosophers]]''.{{sfn|Tredell|2011|p=175}}{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} In 1951, decades after its publication, literary critic [[Orville Prescott]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' cited the work as a landmark story "that set [[Etiquette|social standards]] for a [[Jazz Age|generation of young Americans]], that revealed secrets of [[popularity]] and gave wonderful examples of what to say at a dinner table or on the dance floor."{{sfn|Prescott|1951}}
+"'''Bernice Bobs Her Hair'''" is a [[short story]] by [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]].{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920}} It was first published in [[1920 in literature|May 1920]] in ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]''.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|pp=14-15, 159, 163}}{{sfn|Bruccoli|2002|pp=63, 107-108}} It was Fitzgerald's first short story to achieve national prominence.{{sfn|Tate|2007|p=137}}  The original publication featured interior illustrations by [[May Wilson Preston]].{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=14}} The work later appeared in the September 1920 short story collection ''[[Flappers and Philosophers]]'' published by [[Charles Scribner's Sons]].{{sfn|Tredell|2011|p=175}}{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}}
+Fitzgerald's short story follows the plight of a [[mixed-race]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] girl named Bernice from rural [[Eau Claire, Wisconsin]], who visits her beautiful and sophisticated white cousin Marjorie in the city, presumably [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]].{{sfn|Notea|2018|p=20}} In an attempt to be popular, Bernice announces she will [[Bob cut|bob]] her hair, but this announcement leads to unforeseen consequences.{{sfn|Notea|2018|p=20}}
+Several decades after its publication, critic [[Orville Prescott]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' hailed Fitzgerald's short story in 1951 as a landmark in American literature "that set [[Etiquette|social standards]] for a [[Jazz Age|generation of young Americans]], that revealed secrets of [[popularity]] and gave wonderful examples of what to say at a dinner table or on the dance floor."{{sfn|Prescott|1951}}
 == Background ==
-The story was based on letters which a nineteen-year-old Fitzgerald sent to his fourteen-year-old{{sfn|Bruccoli|1981|p=66}} sister Annabel.<!-- Annabel is spelled with one L.-->{{sfn|Tate|2007|p=298}}{{sfn|Bruccoli|1981|p=66}} As she wished to make herself more socially appealing, he "attempted to refine her social skills, providing detailed instructions on popularity and improving her image."{{sfn|Tate|2007|p=298}}{{sfn|Bruccoli|1981|p=66}} In 1915, Fitzgerald wrote her a voluminous 10-page letter which gave "advice on conversation, poise, carriage, dancing, expression, dress, and personality."{{sfn|Tate|2007|p=298}} Fitzgerald later used this letter for the basis of his 1919 story draft.{{sfn|Tate|2007|p=298}} The original text of the story was much longer, but Fitzgerald cut nearly 3,000 words and changed the ending to make the story more attractive to publishers.
+In 1915, a nineteen-year-old Fitzgerald attended [[Princeton University]], and he wrote many voluminous letters to his fourteen-year-old sister Annabel Fitzgerald.<!-- Annabel is spelled with one L.-->{{sfn|Bruccoli|2002|pp=63, 107-108}}{{sfn|Tate|2007|p=298}} As Annabel wished to make herself more socially desirable, he "attempted to refine her social skills, providing detailed instructions on popularity and improving her image."{{sfn|Bruccoli|2002|pp=63, 107-108}}{{sfn|Tate|2007|p=298}}
+Fitzgerald's 10-page-long letter to a disconsolate Annabel gave "advice on conversation, poise, carriage, dancing, expression, dress, and personality."{{sfn|Tate|2007|p=298}} Four years later, Fitzgerald used this letter for the basis of his 1919 story draft.{{sfn|Tate|2007|p=298}} The original draft of the story was much longer, but Fitzgerald cut nearly 3,000 words and altered the ending to make the story more attractive to [[Slick (magazine format)|slick magazines]] such as ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]''.
-Fitzgerald named the title character Bernice as a reference to [[Berenice II of Egypt]].{{sfn|McDonough|2007|pp=226-229}} According to legend, Berenice sacrificed her most beloved possession—her tresses—to ensure victory in warfare.{{sfn|McDonough|2007|pp=226-229}} For this act, the gods bestowed upon her a great honor: They placed her tresses in the heavens as the constellation [[Coma Berenices]].{{sfn|McDonough|2007|pp=226-229}}
+Fitzgerald named the title character Bernice as a reference to [[Berenice II of Egypt]].{{sfn|McDonough|2007|pp=226-229}} According to legend, Berenice sacrificed her most beloved possession—her tresses—to ensure victory in warfare.{{sfn|McDonough|2007|pp=226-229}} For this act, the gods bestowed upon her a great honor: they placed her tresses in the heavens as the constellation [[Coma Berenices]].{{sfn|McDonough|2007|pp=226-229}}
 == Summary ==
@@ Line 38: / Line 44: @@
 | caption2 = "My hair—bob it!"
 }}
-Bernice, a purportedly [[mixed-race]]{{efn|name=Native American}} girl from rural [[Eau Claire, Wisconsin]], visits her beautiful and sophisticated cousin Marjorie Harvey for the month of August. At the [[Dance party|Saturday-night dances]], none of the handsome boys wish to dance with or speak to Bernice, and Marjorie feels that Bernice is a drag on her social life.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|pp=14-15}}
+Bernice, a purportedly [[mixed-race]]{{efn|name=Native American}} girl from rural [[Eau Claire, Wisconsin]], visits her beautiful and sophisticated cousin Marjorie Harvey for the month of August. At the [[Dance party|Saturday-night dances]], none of the handsome boys wish to dance with or speak to Bernice, and Marjorie feels Bernice is a drag on her social life.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|pp=14-15}}
-One evening, Bernice overhears a hurtful conversation between Marjorie and Marjorie's mother in which Marjorie comments that Bernice is [[Social rejection|socially hopeless]].{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|pp=14-15}} She ascribes Bernice's social awkwardness and conversational reticence to Bernice's supposed [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]{{efn|name=Native American|Most scholars "consider the story's ending predominantly in terms of Bernice's supposed [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] ancestry. This analysis is rooted in an early scene in the story in which Marjorie suggests that the reason for Bernice's unpopularity is 'that crazy Indian blood' that explains her submissive nature."{{sfn|Notea|2018|p=20}}}} ancestry.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=15}} "I think it's that crazy [[Half-breed|Indian blood]] in Bernice," remarks Marjorie. "Maybe she's a reversion to type. [[Native American women in Colonial America|Indian women]] all just sat round and never said anything."{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=15}}
+One evening Bernice overhears a hurtful conversation between Marjorie and Marjorie's mother, in which Marjorie comments that Bernice is [[Social rejection|socially hopeless]].{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|pp=14-15}} She ascribes Bernice's social awkwardness and conversational reticence to Bernice's supposed [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]{{efn|name=Native American|Most scholars "consider the story's ending predominantly in terms of Bernice's supposed [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] ancestry. This analysis is rooted in an early scene in the story in which Marjorie suggests that the reason for Bernice's unpopularity is 'that crazy Indian blood' that explains her submissive nature.{{sfn|Notea|2018|p=20}}}} ancestry.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=15}} "I think it's that crazy [[Half-breed|Indian blood]] in Bernice," remarks Marjorie. "Maybe she's a reversion to type. [[Native American women in Colonial America|Indian women]] all just sat round and never said anything."{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=15}}
-The next morning at breakfast, a distraught Bernice threatens to leave town but, when Marjorie is unfazed by her threats, Bernice relents.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=159}} She reluctantly agrees to let Marjorie turn her into a [[Society Girl|society girl]]. Marjorie teaches Bernice how to hold interesting conversations, [[Coquetry|how to flirt]] with unattractive boys to make herself seem more desirable, and how to dance. At the next party, Bernice's best line is teasing the boys with the idea that she will soon [[bob cut|bob her hair]], and they will get to watch.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
+The next morning at breakfast, a distraught Bernice threatens to leave town, but when Marjorie is unfazed by her threats, Bernice relents.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=159}} She reluctantly agrees to let Marjorie turn her into a [[Society Girl|society girl]]. Marjorie teaches Bernice how to hold interesting conversations, [[Coquetry|how to flirt]] with unattractive boys to make herself seem more desirable, and how to dance. At the next party, Bernice's best line is teasing the boys with the idea that she will soon [[bob cut|bob her hair]], and they will get to watch.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
+With her new coquettish demeanor, Bernice becomes popular with the local boys, especially Warren McIntyre who lives across the street. Warren has been [[Unrequited love|in love]] with Marjorie since childhood, but she consistently neglects him. When it becomes clear Warren has shifted his romantic attentions to Bernice, a vindictive Marjorie sets about publicly humiliating Bernice by tricking her into going through with bobbing her hair.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
 {{Quote box | align = right | width = 25% | bgcolor = #FFFFF0 | fontsize = 100% | quote = "Do you think I ought to bob my hair, Mr. Charley Paulson?"
@@ Line 50: / Line 58: @@
 "Because I'm considering it. It's such a sure and easy way of attracting attention." |author = — [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]] | source = "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}}}
+Marjorie tells various boys Bernice never intended to bob her hair - it was merely a ploy to attract their attention. To prove Marjorie wrong, Bernice consents to be taken to a barbershop by Warren, Marjorie, and a coterie of admirers. However, after the barber bobs Bernice's hair, the boys abruptly lose interest, and Bernice realizes Marjorie tricked her.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
-With her new coquettish demeanor, Bernice becomes popular with the boys in town, especially with nineteen-year-old Warren McIntyre. Warren, who lives across the street, has been [[Unrequited love|in love]] with Marjorie since childhood but she consistently neglects him. When it becomes clear that Warren has shifted his romantic attentions from Marjorie to Bernice, a vindictive Marjorie sets about publicly humiliating Bernice by tricking her into going through with bobbing her hair.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
-Marjorie tells various boys that Bernice never intended to bob her hair and that it was merely a ploy to attract their attentions. To prove Marjorie wrong, Bernice consents to be taken to a barbershop by Warren, Marjorie, and a coterie of admirers. However, after the barber bobs Bernice's hair, the boys abruptly lose interest in her, and Bernice realizes that she was tricked by Marjorie.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
+Marjorie's mother points out that Bernice's [[flapper]] haircut will provoke a [[scandal]] at an upcoming party held in her and Marjorie's honor. Deciding it would be best to leave town before the party the next day, Bernice packs her trunk in the middle of the night and plans to leave on the next train after midnight.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
-Marjorie's mother points out that Bernice's [[flapper]] haircut will provoke a [[scandal]] at an upcoming party held in her and Marjorie's honor. Deciding it would be best to leave the town before the party the next day, Bernice packs her trunk in the middle of the night and plans to leave on the next train after midnight.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}} Before she departs, Bernice sneaks into Marjorie's room and shears off her cousin's two luxurious [[Braid (hairstyle)|braids]] while she sleeps.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
+Before Bernice leaves, she writes her aunt a note explaining where she went, then sneaks into Marjorie's room and shears off her sleeping cousin's two luxurious [[Braid (hairstyle)|braids]].{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}} Exiting the Harvey house, Bernice leaves with her luggage and Marjorie's braids. As Bernice proceeds to the train station, she notices Warren's house across the street. Realizing she was still holding the braids, Bernice tosses them onto his front porch and with a laugh, shouts, "Should have [[Scalping|scalped]]{{efn|name=Native American}} the selfish thing!" {{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}} Picking up her luggage, Bernice runs down the moonlit street to the train station.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
-Exiting the Harvey house, Bernice leaves with both her luggage and Marjorie's two severed braids. As she proceeds to the train station, she notices Warren's house across the street. On a sudden impulse, she hurls Marjorie's braids onto Warren's front porch and shouts, "[[Scalping|Scalp]]{{efn|name=Native American}} the selfish thing!"{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}} Then, picking up her luggage, Bernice runs down the moonlit street to the train station to return to her rural hometown of Eau Claire.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1920|p=163}}
 == Adaptations ==
@@ Line 74: / Line 80: @@
 }}
-The short story has been adapted twice for television.{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} In 1951, [[CBS]] adapted the story for a ''[[Starlight Theatre (TV series)|Starlight Theatre]]'' episode starring 26-year-old [[Julie Harris (actress)|Julie Harris]] as Bernice, [[Mary Sinclair]] as Marjorie, and [[Jerry Paris]] as Otis.{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} [[Anita Loos]] appeared in a cameo as herself.
+"Bernice" has been adapted twice for television.{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} In 1951, [[CBS]] adapted the story for a ''[[Starlight Theatre (TV series)|Starlight Theatre]]'' episode starring 26-year-old [[Julie Harris (actress)|Julie Harris]] as Bernice, [[Mary Sinclair]] as Marjorie and [[Jerry Paris]] as Otis.{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} [[Anita Loos]] appeared in a cameo as herself.
-The story was again made into a television production in 1976 for [[PBS]].{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} It was directed by [[Joan Micklin Silver]] and starred 27-year-old [[Shelley Duvall]] as the teenage Bernice, [[Veronica Cartwright]] as Marjorie, and [[Bud Cort]] as Warren.{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} The role of Draycott Deyo was played by [[Patrick Reynolds (activist)|Patrick Reynolds]] (then using the stage name Patrick Byrne) and Marjorie's mother was played by [[Polly Holliday]].{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}}
+In 1976, [[Joan Micklin Silver]] directed a TV production created for the [[PBS]] series ''[[The American Short Story]]''.{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} It starred [[Shelley Duvall]] as Bernice, [[Veronica Cartwright]] as Marjorie, and [[Bud Cort]] as Warren.{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} Draycott Deyo was played by [[Patrick Reynolds (activist)|Patrick Reynolds]] (then using the stage name Patrick Byrne) and Marjorie's mother was played by [[Polly Holliday]].{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}}
-The story was later converted into a [[one-act play]] by D.D. Brooke for The Dramatic Publishing Company.{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} It was adapted into a 2015 musical by Adam Gwon and Julia Jordan.{{sfn|Levitt|2015}}
-The [[Ireland|Irish]] [[pop music|pop]] group [[The Divine Comedy (band)|The Divine Comedy]] turned the story into a song on its [[1993 in music|1993]] album ''[[Liberation (The Divine Comedy album)|Liberation]]''.
+The story was later converted into a [[one-act play]] by D. D. Brooke for The Dramatic Publishing Company.{{sfn|Hischak|2012|p=23}} It was adapted into a 2015 musical by Adam Gwon and Julia Jordan.{{sfn|Levitt|2015}} The [[Ireland|Irish]] [[pop music|pop]] group [[The Divine Comedy (band)|The Divine Comedy]] turned the story into a song on their 1993 album ''[[Liberation (The Divine Comedy album)|Liberation]]''.
 == References ==
@@ Line 91: / Line 95: @@
 === Bibliography ===
 {{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
-* {{cite book | last = Bruccoli | first = Matthew Joseph | author-link = Matthew J. Bruccoli | title = Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald | year = 1981 | publisher = [[Harcourt (publisher)|Harcourt Brace Jovanovich]] | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=up9aAAAAMAAJ | access-date = December 24, 2019 | isbn = 978-1-57003-455-8 | ref = harv}}
+* {{cite book |last=Bruccoli |first=Matthew J. |author-link=Matthew J. Bruccoli |title=Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald |year=2002 |orig-year=1981 |publisher=[[University of South Carolina Press]] |location=Columbia, South Carolina |url=https://archive.org/details/somesortofepicgr0000bruc_p7y5 |access-date=December 24, 2019 |isbn=1-57003-455-9 | via = Internet Archive}}
-* {{cite magazine | last = Fitzgerald | first = F. Scott | author-link = F. Scott Fitzgerald | title = Bernice Bobs Her Hair | magazine = [[Saturday Evening Post]] | date = May 1, 1920 | url = https://archive.org/details/the-saturday-evening-post-1920-05-01/page/n15 | access-date = December 24, 2019 | via = [[Internet Archive]] | ref = harv}}
+* {{cite magazine |last=Fitzgerald |first=F. Scott |author-link=F. Scott Fitzgerald |title=Bernice Bobs Her Hair |magazine=[[The Saturday Evening Post]] |volume=192 |issue=44 |date=May 1, 1920 |publisher=[[Curtis Publishing Company]] |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.319510014591567&view=1up&seq=18&skin=2021 |access-date=December 24, 2021 |via=[[Hathi Trust]]}}
-* {{cite book | last = Hischak | first = Thomas S. | title = American Literature on Stage and Screen: 525 Works and Their Adaptations | date = June 18, 2012 | access-date = December 24, 2019 | publisher = [[McFarland & Company]] | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=vfie60kGGuAC&pg=PA23 | isbn = 978-0-7864-6842-3 | ref = harv}}
+* {{cite book |last=Hischak |first=Thomas S. |title=American Literature on Stage and Screen: 525 Works and Their Adaptations |date=June 18, 2012 |access-date=December 24, 2019 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location = Jefferson, North Carolina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vfie60kGGuAC&pg=PA23 |isbn=978-0-7864-6842-3}}
-* {{cite web | last = Levitt | first = Hayley | title = While Bernice Bobs Her Hair in Oklahoma | url = https://www.theatermania.com/washington-dc-theater/news/adam-gwon-julia-jordan-interview_74578.html | date = October 14, 2015 | access-date = December 19, 2019 | location = [[Washington, D.C.]] | ref = harv}}
+* {{cite web |last=Levitt |first=Hayley |title=While Bernice Bobs Her Hair in Oklahoma |url=https://www.theatermania.com/washington-dc-theater/news/adam-gwon-julia-jordan-interview_74578.html |date=October 14, 2015 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |website=Theater Mania |location=Washington, D.C.}}
-* {{cite journal | last = McDonough | first = Chris | title = The Starry Heaven of Popular Girls: Fitzgerald's Bernice Bobs Her Hair And Catullus's Coma Berenices | journal = [[The Explicator]] | volume = 65 | issue = 4 | year = 2007 | doi = 10.3200/EXPL.65.4.226-229 | pages = 226–229 | s2cid = 161107235 | ref = harv}}
+* {{cite journal |last=McDonough |first=Chris |title=The Starry Heaven of Popular Girls: Fitzgerald's Bernice Bobs Her Hair And Catullus's Coma Berenices |journal=[[The Explicator]]|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|location=Milton Park, United Kingdom |volume=65 |issue=4 |year=2007 |doi=10.3200/EXPL.65.4.226-229 |pages=226–229 |s2cid=161107235}}
-* {{cite journal | last = Notea | first = Ya'ara | title = The Mad Flapper: Socialization in Fitzgerald's "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" | journal = The F. Scott Fitzgerald Review | volume = 16 | number = 1 | year = 2018 | pages = 18–37 | publisher = [[Penn State University Press]] | doi = 10.5325/fscotfitzrevi.16.1.0018 | s2cid = 171766709 | ref = harv}}
+* {{cite journal |last=Notea |first=Ya'ara |title=The Mad Flapper: Socialization in Fitzgerald's 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair' |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.5325/fscotfitzrevi.16.1.0018.pdf |journal=The F. Scott Fitzgerald Review |volume=16 |number=1 |year=2018 |pages=18–37 |publisher=[[Penn State University Press]] | location=University Park, Pennsylvania |doi=10.5325/fscotfitzrevi.16.1.0018 |jstor=10.5325/fscotfitzrevi.16.1.0018 |s2cid=171766709}}
-* {{cite newspaper | last = Prescott | first = Orville | author-link = Orville Prescott | title = Books of The Times: Shining Up So-So Stories | date = March 7, 1951 | access-date = December 24, 2019 | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | url = https://nyti.ms/35W25nB | page = 31 | ref = harv}}
+* {{cite news |last=Prescott |first=Orville |author-link=Orville Prescott |title=Books of The Times: Shining Up So-So Stories |date=March 7, 1951 |access-date=December 24, 2019 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |location=New York City|url=https://nyti.ms/35W25nB |page=31}}
-* {{cite book | last = Tate | first = Mary Joe | title = Critical Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work | year = 2007 | orig-year = 1998 | publisher = [[Infobase Publishing|Library of American Literature]] | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=C90C_Du_lKIC | isbn = 978-0-8160-6433-5 | ref = harv}}
+* {{cite book |last=Tate |first=Mary Joe |title=Critical Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work |year=2007 |orig-year=1998 |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing|Library of American Literature]] | location = New York | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C90C_Du_lKIC |isbn=978-0-8160-6433-5}}
-* {{cite book | last = Tredell | first = Nicolas | title = F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby/Tender is the Night | year = 2011 | publisher = [[Palgrave Macmillan]] | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-phMDwAAQBAJ | access-date = December 24, 2019 | isbn = 978-0-230-34673-4 | ref = harv}}
+* {{cite book |last=Tredell |first=Nicolas |title=F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby/Tender is the Night |year=2011 |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] | location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-phMDwAAQBAJ |access-date=December 24, 2019 |isbn=978-0-230-34673-4}}
 {{refend}}
 ==External links==
 {{wikisource}}
+* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/f-scott-fitzgerald/short-fiction|Display Name=An omnibus collection of Fitzgerald's short fiction, including ''{{PAGENAMEBASE}}''|noitalics=true}}
-* [https://archive.org/details/the-saturday-evening-post-1920-05-01/page/n15 Internet Archive — "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"] - Original text with images
+* [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.319510014591567&view=1up&seq=18&skin=2021 ''The Saturday Evening Post'' — "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"] ([[HathiTrust]])
 * {{librivox book | title=Bernice Bobs Her Hair | author=F. Scott FITZGERALD}}
-* {{IMDb title|0074200|title=Bernice Bobs Her Hair|description=(1976 TV production)}}
+* {{IMDb title|qid=Q123289315|title=Bernice Bobs Her Hair|description=(1976 TV production)}}
-* {{IMDb title|0709327|title=Bernice Bobs Her Hair|description=(1951 TV episode)}}
+* {{IMDb title|qid=Q123517461|title=Bernice Bobs Her Hair|description=(1951 TV episode)}}
 {{Fitzgerald}}
@@ Line 113: / Line 118: @@
 [[Category:Short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald]]
 [[Category:1920 short stories]]
-[[Category:Fashion in fiction]]
+[[Category:1920s short stories]]
+[[Category:Fiction about fashion]]
+[[Category:American short stories]]
 [[Category:Works originally published in The Saturday Evening Post]]
+[[Category:Works about Native Americans]]
+[[Category:Flappers]]