ENG 3015 Fitzgerald and Hemingway
This course considers some of the major works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Working chronologically, we will gain a sense of the contours of each author's literary career; discern characteristic patterns and themes within and among each author; and get a feel for the historical circumstances in which both men wrote. Some of our leading questions will be: to what extent did Fitzgerald and Hemingway share an approach to writing and/or life? In what ways were their fictions driven by commercial instincts and the desire for artistic prestige? How does each author articulate specific ideas of masculinity and femininity, and touch on issues of hetero-, homo-, and bi-sexuality? How might we compare their views of America and Europe, or the American past versus the present? How did each author manage to invent a new way of writing that continues to inspire admiration, imitation, and sometimes mockery? Throughout the course, students will practice writing critically about multiple prose genres (stories, novels, essays, memoirs, letters, scholarly criticism). The course will culminate in a research essay.