Course Paper

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.