Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Critique of the Critic

By Laura Peckar



When someone says the name, “Ernest Hemingway,” those who listen instantly think of literature, and all that the man himself contributed to the world of writing -- for good reason. For years, critics have offered Hemingway’s works little to no bad marks, always putting forth praise for each book, novel, passage and word.

One review of Hemingway’s book, In Our Time, states that: "[H]is very prose seems to have an organic being of its own. . . . He looks out upon the world without prejudice or preconception and records with precision and economy, and an almost terrifying immediacy, exactly what he sees."

In another review of a different one of Hemingway’s books, A Farewell to Arms, the writer states that: "[T]he Hemingway manner is arresting purely as craftsmanship. . . . seldom has a literary style so precisely jumped with the time. . . . a moving and beautiful book."

These sorts of statements of Hemingway’s works, if combined, could fill the pages of several novels, and probably already have. Yet, as with every great writer, he has his fair share of critics, if not more.

Considering that Hemingway himself has been compared to other American writers such as Fitzgerald and Faulkner, it’s no surprise that his status as such has been repeatedly questioned. His books are more international than most after all. Almost all of his stories take place overseas, with hardly a mention of the good ol’ states.

Yet, whether you love him or hate him, no one can deny that Hemingway hasn’t earned his place among the greatest of the literary masters, as his sharp, short sentences, dialogue, and works have made incredible impacts in the very way people write today.

Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/07/04/specials/hemingway-reviews.html
http://www.hemingwaypreservationfoundation.org/ernest-hemingway-criticism.html




War Trauma, Hemingway, and The Sun Also Rises

War Trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs after traumatic events during a war. It also leads to post traumatic stress disorder. Damage may involve physical damages inside the brain which changes the response to future stress. Psychological trauma can lead to long term negative effects, according to health professionals.

Symptoms of Trauma: After a traumatic experience a person can re-experience the trauma mentally and physically. Making a person avoid anything that may relate to that experience.This can be uncomfortable and painful. This could lead to alcohol use to try to get rid or escape from all of those feelings. A person might get angry at random and frequent situations for no real reasons.This anger can be started by picture, images, or flashbacks that may haunt this person.

In The Sun Also Rises, Jake used alcohol to relieve stress from World War 1. He avoided getting into close relationships. He did not want to lose anybody that he might have gotten close with like he might have in the war.

Ernest Hemingway went to war after he graduated from high school. Ernest Hemingway said to one of his friends after his time in war,"There was one of those big noises you sometimes hear at the front. I died then. I felt my soul or something coming right out of my body." An explosion went off and the strap metal went through a friendly soldier's legs and Ernest also got hurt pretty badly, but he didn't care about his own safety so he helped the man out in his time of need and he got a medal for his courage.

When he came back from the war he was 19 years old. But he matured a lot and started thinking a lot about his future. There was a lot of pressure on him to start working or pursuing his education. He received $1000 for insurance for his war wounds which helped him avoid working for a year. Later on in his life when he became a writer his writing reflected his inner thoughts and feelings of world war 1 and the traumatic effects that occurred to him at the time.





Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_trauma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I
http://www.lostgeneration.com/ww1.htm

By Vrej and Vahan