Tomorrow would've been the 117th birthday of iconic American author Ernest Hemingway. He was a larger than life figure whose mythology only seems to have grown since his passing. Some students dislike Hemingway's style, which is understandable. His work isn't as palatable as Cather or Fitzgerald's, so it takes some getting used to. But the lessons we can learn from him are valuable, to be sure. Here are five ways to introduce Hemingway to your class of young readers and writers.
1. Offer technology. Since young people are so enamored with anything that has the word "app" in it, show your students the Hemingway App. It allows you to enter your own text and gives suggestions for editing your work for clarity and brevity, two of Hemingway's stylistic trademarks.
2. Tell them about rewriting. The best writers are often the most diligent rewriters, and Hemingway was no different. He once told an interviewer that he rewrote the ending to his novel A Farewell to Arms 39 times. The reason? He had to "get the words right." Whether in a creative writing class or a composition class, there is no better piece of advice for a writer.
3. Make them read "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." Hemingway was a prolific short story writer, and this is probably my favorite. Few pieces of literature demonstrate the divide between the worldviews of the young and the aged. It's a bit depressing and nihilistic (it's Hemingway, after all), but its simplicity is hard to beat. And while young people may not get it at first, it will stick with them long after reading.
4. Have students write six-word stories. Perhaps the most famous piece of flash fiction is attributed to Hemingway, though that legend is highly disputable. No matter, use it anyway to show how a fully developed story doesn't need the bells and whistles to be effective. A character, an event, a consequence--stick to that and word count doesn't matter. Your creative writers will improve instantly.
5. Introduce intertextuality. Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls is a pretty good war novel if students want to take a crack at it. But its title offers more literary exploration. It was taken from a sermon by British poet (and my favorite) John Donne, as he was pretty much on his death bed. It's the same sermon that includes the famous phrase, "No man is an island." Knowing where Hemingway got his ideas on the ominous and inescapable cloud of death helps to more clearly understand his own work. Helping students understand that literary texts constantly borrow from, reflect, and elevate other literary texts is one of the fastest ways to develop appreciation among young readers. Show the links, and the students will follow.
Happy Hemingway Day!
1. Offer technology. Since young people are so enamored with anything that has the word "app" in it, show your students the Hemingway App. It allows you to enter your own text and gives suggestions for editing your work for clarity and brevity, two of Hemingway's stylistic trademarks.
2. Tell them about rewriting. The best writers are often the most diligent rewriters, and Hemingway was no different. He once told an interviewer that he rewrote the ending to his novel A Farewell to Arms 39 times. The reason? He had to "get the words right." Whether in a creative writing class or a composition class, there is no better piece of advice for a writer.
3. Make them read "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." Hemingway was a prolific short story writer, and this is probably my favorite. Few pieces of literature demonstrate the divide between the worldviews of the young and the aged. It's a bit depressing and nihilistic (it's Hemingway, after all), but its simplicity is hard to beat. And while young people may not get it at first, it will stick with them long after reading.
4. Have students write six-word stories. Perhaps the most famous piece of flash fiction is attributed to Hemingway, though that legend is highly disputable. No matter, use it anyway to show how a fully developed story doesn't need the bells and whistles to be effective. A character, an event, a consequence--stick to that and word count doesn't matter. Your creative writers will improve instantly.
5. Introduce intertextuality. Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls is a pretty good war novel if students want to take a crack at it. But its title offers more literary exploration. It was taken from a sermon by British poet (and my favorite) John Donne, as he was pretty much on his death bed. It's the same sermon that includes the famous phrase, "No man is an island." Knowing where Hemingway got his ideas on the ominous and inescapable cloud of death helps to more clearly understand his own work. Helping students understand that literary texts constantly borrow from, reflect, and elevate other literary texts is one of the fastest ways to develop appreciation among young readers. Show the links, and the students will follow.
Happy Hemingway Day!