My course paper focused on The Sun Also Rises, and Jake Barnes’
tendency to trivialize the emotional effects of his injury. The thesis I put forth was that by constantly
understating his wound, Jake arrested the development of a healthy, productive
identity as a disabled man. I also
examined Count Mippipopolous as a potential role model for Jake’s efforts to redefine
his masculinity. My entry into this
reading of the text was the ironic coding of the word “funny” between Jake and
Brett. They refer to Jake’s injury as
something that is supposed to be funny, reducing the importance of such a
drastic wound. The majority of my
analysis was drawn from close reading of the text, but the articles “Melancholy
Modernism: Gender and the Politics of Mourning in The Sun Also Rises” by Greg Forter and “Something Funny About
Hemingway’s Count” by William Kerrigan gave valuable insight into the coding of
Brett and Jake’s conversations, the nature of the Count’s injuries, and contextual
information about Hemingway’s own wounds.
I
believe the value of this reading is to undermine the belief that Jake’s
physical wound is the sole barrier to a happy, healthy relationship with Lady
Brett Ashley. I sought to provide
evidence that the actual disfiguring injury is simply the cause of the intense
emotional trauma that truly arrests Jake’s progress. I believe this reading offers a more complex
reading of Jake’s trauma, highlighting the internal struggle between grieving over
his compromised masculinity, and resisting the sentimental mourning which may
be perceived as feminine.
Final Learning
Statement
Although I began this course with a
strong appreciation and a fair amount of familiarity with the authors of the
Lost Generation, I am pleased to be able to truthfully I have learned something
new. This course increased my understanding
of the interconnection between the painters and writers of 1920s Paris, and clearly
explained the influence of Cezanne, Picasso and other artists on their literary
counterparts. Rather than simply
analyzing text, discussing characterization, and other typical exercises, this
course allowed me to view the texts, paintings, and even the personalities as
parts of the artistic scene Paris represented at that time.
The author I found most compelling
was Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein was the least accessible to me. I find this interesting, since Hemingway’s
style, especially his use of repetition for emphasis, was greatly inspired by
Stein. While I respected Stein’s
fearless experimentation, I believe Hemingway’s discipline and mastery
developed this experimental approach into truly timeless art. To draw an example from The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway’s writing is similar to the
bullfighting of Pedro Romero. Both men
fully devoted their lives to their art, taking great personal pride in their
performances. While their audiences may
have been awestruck by their personalities, bravery, and masculinity, each
artist created meaning with their own set of values in mind. The audience’s cheers did not matter as much
as the pride and satisfaction in performing or creating something truly beautiful.
