Earnest Hemingway

(1899—1961)

Lecture 13:

Hemingway’s works:

The Sun Also Rises

For Whom the Bell Tolls

The Old Man and the Sea

A Farewell to Arms

“The Snows of Kilimanjaro”

“The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber”

Hemingway situation: characterized by chaos and

brutality and violence, by crime and death, by sports

and sex Hemingway theme: “grace under pressure”

Features in Hemingway’s works:

Hemingway hero: a person with “despairing

courage”; “Man is not born to be defeated.” Hemingway style: simplicity and economy of

expression; short, uncomplicated sentences;

colloquial style

Features in Hemingway’s works:

“A Clean, Well-lighted Place”: a. In what ways do the two waiters differ? b. What does the title of the story mean? c. What is the significance of the garbled Lord’s prayer?

“A Clean, Well-lighted Place”:

What is the meaning of “nada”? What is the writer’s intention of replacing many words in the prayers with “nada”?

Why does the writer not give the names of the characters?

How can you distinguish the two waiters? Why does this place have to be clean and well-

lighted? What do cleanliness and brightness represent?

What is the historical background of the story?

The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy

name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on

earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily

bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our

debtors. And lead us not into temptation but

deliver us from evil; amen.

A Prayer to Virgin Mary:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Homework:

For Week 14:

1. Reading Assignments:

William Faulkner,

“A Rose for Emily”

For Week 14:2. Presentation topics: a. Why is Emily’s House the most appropriate setting for the story? b. Does the sex of the narrator affect the telling of the story? c. What is the disadvantage of taking Emily as a symbol of the post-Civil-War South?

For Week 15:

1. Reading Assignments:

Eugene O’Neill,

Desire Under the Elms

For Week 15:2. Presentation topics: a. What is the central conflict in the play? b. What do the big elm trees symbolize? c. How is the subject of “desire” represented in the play? “Desire” over what?