Thank you so much for this! I am just starting my first Hemingway read- For Whom the Bell Tolls. You gave me a better idea of some things to look out for in his text.
Bittersweet that this is the last in the Hemingway series. I've really enjoyed your in depth discussion on him, his life, and his works, and am disappointed I won't have these videos to look forward to anymore. I'm so much more excited to get into him now.
This was an interesting video, and although I have read Hemingway in the past, I am willing to give him another chance. As far as his personality goes, I think it is important to remember what D.H. Lawrence said, "trust the tale, not the author", so it is important to judge the writing on its own merits. I admire your love for his writing, I have certain authors who I admire very much, and would defend them, just as you do him. Thanks Brian for not waffling on your position, so many people change their opinion the moment someone disagrees with them.
Thank you Lillian. As I've gotten older I admire the work more and the man less. I almost made a video about how as I became disillusioned with Hemingway the man, I was still able to like the time I spent with him and his works. In it I was going to try to parallel that with the way men will stay friends with other men they come to realize are terrible people, because they still find something about them they like: The friends we still have a few beers with, but would never trust to watch our kids.
There's a story of his, that I can't dig though; the hophead William Campbell in "Pursuit Race" , the manager & carnival setting. I have an idea, but could you give me your point of view of it?
I've enjoyed this series and appreciate how much work you put into each part to contextualize Hemingway historically and in the greater literary realm. And stripped down writing can distill meaning. He was so good at that.
Thanks for this series Brian- I'm a fan of the three Hemingway I've read and would like to read more but regardless of that, I just appreciate it when someone talks about an author with passion and intelligence, even if it isn't someone I have read and/or enjoyed.
@@josmith5992 I love _A Moveable Feast_ for its descriptions of Paris and Hemingway's writing process. I need to reread _For Whom The Bell Tolls_ . I think _A Farewell To Arms_ is his best novel, but my favorite will probably always be _The Sun Also Rises_ . I think he is at his best in his short stories though.
I have to tell you how much I appreciate the videos you've made about Hemingway. Also the personal thoughts you've shared with me to gain an expanded understanding of Hemingway's work. I will be reading Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night soon. We've talked about my gut reaction to Zelda in A Moveable Feast. If it wasn't for your conversation I wouldn't have been forced to rethink my initial reaction. Great job!
Thank you very much. I loved doing this series. I think too often we stick with what has become conventional wisdom about people from the past -- Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Zelda, etc. -- and that every once in a while we need to re-evaluate those ideas and come up with our own. I hope you enjoy _Tender Is The Night_ . Btw, since we have talked about how Hemingway treated Fitzgerald in _A Moveable Feast_ notice how Fitzgerald describes the character of Albert McKisco in _Tender Is The Night_ .
@@BookishTexan I will definitely keep that in mind. I am really looking forward to finding out more about their relationship. Also I believe Zelda wrote a novel as well. I need to read that too 😁
I am the same way, thought I probably cut Hemingway more slack than most because of his depression, the impact of electric shock, and a blood condition that contributed to his moodiness.
This was an interesting end to an interesting series of videos! :) What I always think is interesting about the perceptions of greatness among writers of Hemingway's generation is how for such a long time John Dos Passos was up there with him in that cultural space but has since fallen away. I've been reading a bit of '60s and '70s literary criticism lately and they're nearly always mentioned together - but I haven't seen any clear point at which it was somehow decided that Dos Passos was going to become the less relevant one. So much of the current criticism of Hemingway himself is as much about content as form. So considering how similar a lot of their output was in terms of topic (or maybe I just perceive it that way because my own focus has been on their war writing?), I'm sure his writing would be under the critique for dude-bro-ness if he were still core to the canon/classic/whatever-we're-calling-it list.
Interesting point about Dos Passos and I don't know why or how he faded. I know that Dos Passos embraced some pretty left wing politics in the 20s and early 30s. Not sure I would go so far as to call him a Communist, but he definitely hung out with some. Then in the late 30s and 40s I think he switched to a sort of nationalist political point of view. Because his modernist work-- The USA Trilogy and Manhattan Transfer -- was his best work (I think) and those books were pretty leftist, I wonder if that impacted his legacy. I dont think Dos Passos was as good a writer in general, but he was innovative and wrote some good books. I have always thought it was a shame Dos Passos wasnt better known.
Thx for this, Brian. If I had the time I'd make a video about Papa and Faulkner's "frien-emy" relationship throughout their careers (still prefer Faulkner, me 😱) WTG!
Lol there’s so much here that I talk about all the time. I’m doing a video this month on his writing aesthetic and process and it’s so much of the details you include here. Have you read Hemingway on Writing? It’s one of my favorite books on writing.
@@BookishTexan It was put together post humaneously (sp?) because he was afraid to talk about the craft at length. It's very short, but I reread it every few years because I love it so much.
Thanks for that suggestion. I think you can find examples of all the points I made in just a few of his best works. The short story “Hills Like White Elephants” is one of the best examples of what Hemingway could do with dialogue. That is true of the novel “A Farewell to Arms” as well but in that novel you also get good examples of Hemingway’s use of repetition and his other stylistic elements as well. I think the short stories “Big Two Hearted River I & II” (which should be read as one story) provide the best examples of his use of nature and setting to convey emotion and tension.
Well, you have convinced me to give him another chance, for sure. Appreciate all your effort, Brian.
Thank you. Let me know how it goes.
Thank you so much for this! I am just starting my first Hemingway read- For Whom the Bell Tolls. You gave me a better idea of some things to look out for in his text.
You are welcome. I think _For Whom the Bell Tolls_ may be Hemingway's best novel though it isnt my favorite.
Bittersweet that this is the last in the Hemingway series. I've really enjoyed your in depth discussion on him, his life, and his works, and am disappointed I won't have these videos to look forward to anymore. I'm so much more excited to get into him now.
Thank you Alex, that's very kind. I hope that you enjoy his works.
Well explained. Appreciate the summary on his style. Also interesting to look out for those trades while reading him... adds to the enjoyment.
Thank you for the kind comment.
This was an interesting video, and although I have read Hemingway in the past, I am willing to give him another chance. As far as his personality goes, I think it is important to remember what D.H. Lawrence said, "trust the tale, not the author", so it is important to judge the writing on its own merits. I admire your love for his writing, I have certain authors who I admire very much, and would defend them, just as you do him. Thanks Brian for not waffling on your position, so many people change their opinion the moment someone disagrees with them.
Thank you Lillian. As I've gotten older I admire the work more and the man less. I almost made a video about how as I became disillusioned with Hemingway the man, I was still able to like the time I spent with him and his works. In it I was going to try to parallel that with the way men will stay friends with other men they come to realize are terrible people, because they still find something about them they like: The friends we still have a few beers with, but would never trust to watch our kids.
As someone who has never gone deeply into his works, I thought this was very well done, encouraging me to go further.
Thank you. I hope you enjoy the Hemingway you read, but just a warning, its not all good. The stories are better than the novels.
There's a story of his, that I can't dig though; the hophead William Campbell in "Pursuit Race" , the manager & carnival setting. I have an idea, but could you give me your point of view of it?
I've enjoyed this series and appreciate how much work you put into each part to contextualize Hemingway historically and in the greater literary realm. And stripped down writing can distill meaning. He was so good at that.
Thank you very much. I had fun doing it.
This was a great, educational series. Thank you!
Thank you.
Beautiful thank you 🙏 I’ve become a author ✍️ just because
Thanks for this series Brian- I'm a fan of the three Hemingway I've read and would like to read more but regardless of that, I just appreciate it when someone talks about an author with passion and intelligence, even if it isn't someone I have read and/or enjoyed.
Thank you Jo. I'm curious to know what Hemingway novels you have read and I cant remember if you already told me in a comment on an earlier video.
I've read For Whom the Bell Tolls, A Farewell to Arms and A Moveable Feast, the latter of which especially, I'd like to reread.
@@josmith5992 I love _A Moveable Feast_ for its descriptions of Paris and Hemingway's writing process. I need to reread _For Whom The Bell Tolls_ . I think _A Farewell To Arms_ is his best novel, but my favorite will probably always be _The Sun Also Rises_ . I think he is at his best in his short stories though.
Holy smokes! I just found this. I'll be sure to watch the others and keep them in mind when I go at another Hemingway novel!
I have to tell you how much I appreciate the videos you've made about Hemingway. Also the personal thoughts you've shared with me to gain an expanded understanding of Hemingway's work. I will be reading Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night soon. We've talked about my gut reaction to Zelda in A Moveable Feast. If it wasn't for your conversation I wouldn't have been forced to rethink my initial reaction. Great job!
Thank you very much. I loved doing this series. I think too often we stick with what has become conventional wisdom about people from the past -- Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Zelda, etc. -- and that every once in a while we need to re-evaluate those ideas and come up with our own. I hope you enjoy _Tender Is The Night_ . Btw, since we have talked about how Hemingway treated Fitzgerald in _A Moveable Feast_ notice how Fitzgerald describes the character of Albert McKisco in _Tender Is The Night_ .
@@BookishTexan I will definitely keep that in mind. I am really looking forward to finding out more about their relationship. Also I believe Zelda wrote a novel as well. I need to read that too 😁
She did. Its called _Save Me The Waltz_ . I've never read it, but I suddenly feel like I should have.
@@BookishTexan thank you for the name drop. It was you that motivated me to read a little further 😁
Great discussion! Hemingway is one of those authors whose work I like but who I don't like as a person ^_^
I am the same way, thought I probably cut Hemingway more slack than most because of his depression, the impact of electric shock, and a blood condition that contributed to his moodiness.
@@BookishTexan I tend to just sort of try not to think about it too much!
I've read A Moveable Feast and A Farewell to Arms. I intend to read more.
This was an interesting end to an interesting series of videos! :)
What I always think is interesting about the perceptions of greatness among writers of Hemingway's generation is how for such a long time John Dos Passos was up there with him in that cultural space but has since fallen away. I've been reading a bit of '60s and '70s literary criticism lately and they're nearly always mentioned together - but I haven't seen any clear point at which it was somehow decided that Dos Passos was going to become the less relevant one.
So much of the current criticism of Hemingway himself is as much about content as form. So considering how similar a lot of their output was in terms of topic (or maybe I just perceive it that way because my own focus has been on their war writing?), I'm sure his writing would be under the critique for dude-bro-ness if he were still core to the canon/classic/whatever-we're-calling-it list.
Interesting point about Dos Passos and I don't know why or how he faded. I know that Dos Passos embraced some pretty left wing politics in the 20s and early 30s. Not sure I would go so far as to call him a Communist, but he definitely hung out with some. Then in the late 30s and 40s I think he switched to a sort of nationalist political point of view. Because his modernist work-- The USA Trilogy and Manhattan Transfer -- was his best work (I think) and those books were pretty leftist, I wonder if that impacted his legacy. I dont think Dos Passos was as good a writer in general, but he was innovative and wrote some good books. I have always thought it was a shame Dos Passos wasnt better known.
Very few fiction writers are masters of both novels and short stories. Hemingway seems to me to be one of them.
I think Hemingway was at his best as a short story writer, but I agree that he has some good novels also. Thank you for watching.
Thx for this, Brian. If I had the time I'd make a video about Papa and Faulkner's "frien-emy" relationship throughout their careers (still prefer Faulkner, me 😱) WTG!
That would be a great video. (I prefer Faulkner too).
@@BookishTexan Read along _Light in August_ this August? Not a hard read and so cathartic, to me. Hmm...🤔
Loved this!
Thank you.
Lol there’s so much here that I talk about all the time. I’m doing a video this month on his writing aesthetic and process and it’s so much of the details you include here. Have you read Hemingway on Writing? It’s one of my favorite books on writing.
I have not read that Hemingway on Writing. Hmmm. . . . maybe I'll have to check that out.
@@BookishTexan It was put together post humaneously (sp?) because he was afraid to talk about the craft at length. It's very short, but I reread it every few years because I love it so much.
Great series. 10/10, do recommend.
I see Ike in the background, actually, so that changes the score to 15/10. Must see.
He cant stand to not be in the videos. I'll try not to edit him out in the future if its going to bump my score by 5 points.
@@BookishTexan That's a good idea. Pets in the background give big boosts to scores. Booktube needs more pet interaction. Haha
Tangent...but I absolutely love your shirt
Haha! Thanks. A fish shirt and Hemingway seemed to go together.
would be great if you throw out some examples with your points
Thanks for that suggestion.
I think you can find examples of all the points I made in just a few of his best works.
The short story “Hills Like White Elephants” is one of the best examples of what Hemingway could do with dialogue.
That is true of the novel “A Farewell to Arms” as well but in that novel you also get good examples of Hemingway’s use of repetition and his other stylistic elements as well.
I think the short stories “Big Two Hearted River I & II” (which should be read as one story) provide the best examples of his use of nature and setting to convey emotion and tension.
... in other words, Hemingway is nothing like George Eliot 😂
Exactly. :)
HA!!! 😱😅🤔😱