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/lit/ - Literature

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6129982 No.6129982 [Reply] [Original]

Finished pic related today. I felt like this book was a sequel to another, more interesting story about Jake's experiences in WWI, and his first meeting with Brett.

>> No.6130222

>>6129982

You didn't appreciate Hemingway's impressive dialogue sections? some of them are three pages long

>> No.6130258

>>6130222
Three pages of
"Yes"
"Of course"
"How about a drink, I want to get tight."
"Yes"
I sat in the cafe and drank some wine. It was good wine.

>> No.6130265

>>6129982
>Hemmingway
>anything but midcult garbage

>> No.6130279

>>6130265
He is talented, but like Fitzgerald he seems content to write about the wealthy suffering from ennui and depression.

>> No.6130297

>>6129982
This remains the only full length novel I've read by Hemingway, and I wasn't impressed at all.

Positives:
>vivid environmental descriptions
>bullfights were cool
>description of spanish festival was cool
>characters were realistic, and their dialogue was realistic

Cons:
>barely anything happens
>despite his descriptions evoking the scenes vividly, they are still plainfaced descriptions and don't have enough narrative flair to carry long sections of nothing really happening (like Faulkner can, for example)
>most of the book is just subtle romantic tension between adults

I think Hemingway's "masculine" writing style is such a joke. I don't think he's a bad writer at all. But to say his writing is "masculine" because it's blunt and plain-faced is strange when the content (of this book at least) is literally subtle romantic tension between grown adults that never really comes to a head. I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing for a book to be about, but for such a supposedly masculine, gung-ho writer, it's a little ridiculous. Does that reputation really just come from the fact that there's bullfights and alcoholism in his work?

I don't dislike Hemingway, but this book was really disappointing. I've read a few of his stories, and thought The Capital of the World was excellent.

>> No.6130452

>>6130297
Exactly. The actual plot seems like a short story, padded out the mundanities of Jake's life. Especially the last twenty pages.

>> No.6130714

>>6130279

>READING
>FOR
>THE
>PLOT

>> No.6130782

>>6130714

see >>6130279

>> No.6130808

>>6130782

what are you on about?

>>6130452
>>6130297

I don't get your logic at all. It's about the writing, will you quit nitpicking what you personally didn't like about the plot? Do you honestly think the analysis of literary fans and critics is limited to 'oh well the minimalist prose style, unique pacing, realist imagery and setting was pretty great, but the characters were wealthy and their problems were irrelevant to me so 2/10'

>> No.6130809

>>6130297
Barely anything happening is an extremely thin criticism. The deterioration of the friendship dynamics is a lot happening but it is not shown cosmetically. Even the brief and clunky dialog exemplifies this. By the end a bottle of wine serves for better company than the entire festival and friends.

>> No.6131038

>>6130297

>no prior opinion or knowledge of Hemingway
>read lots of short stories
>most authors I enjoy were influenced by Hemingway
>read Sun Also Rises, A Movable Feast, some stories
>Minimalist, smart writing
>start searching the internet for Hemingway
>GUNS HUNTING MANLINESS WAR STEAK WHISKEY BOXING MANLINESS

Did I miss something? Are his war novels just over-masculine garbage? That Woody Allen movie, Colbert, and Dead Authors podcast all make jokes about him acting this way. I just thought he was an observant-type

>> No.6131054

>>6129982
"isn't it pretty to think so"
The book was alright but that last sentence is probably my favorite ending

>> No.6131068

>>6131038
Farewell to arms cripples the masculinity in the end. A bit of symbolic castration.

>> No.6132082

>>6130808
I try to separate my personal taste from broader technical criticism.

>> No.6132141

It's also the first and only Hemmingway I've read, and I do plan to read more of him eventually, because I liked it. But, fuck, everyone was just so unlikeable. And I'm not one of those dumbasses that need a relatable character to enjoy a story, in fact I like them to be as different and unrelatable as possible. But the characters were so human, they were such incredibly realistically petty assholes, every single character, that it just left a bad taste in my mouth when I finished it.

>> No.6132590

>>6132141

well yes, the book is supposed to be disquieting...

>> No.6132593

>>6132141

and I don't want to bring you down, but Sun Also Rises is by far his best and most respecting novel, the only other things worth checking out are A Moveable Feast and some short stories