LIB466
Hemingway's Paris Stories
In 1922, Ernest Hemingway was an aspiring writer living in Paris, perfecting his craft and producing numerous short stories. Then, in December 1922, a valise carrying all the material he’d written was lost or stolen from a Paris train station. We’ll explore 1925’s In Our Time, Hemingway’s collection of stories written after the loss of the manuscripts. These stories established him as a leading voice among a new generation of writers and is one of Hemingway’s best and most experimental works. We’ll gain insight into the early Hemingway, before the macho public persona took hold.
Note: This course has required reading and discussion. You will need to obtain a copy of In Our Time. See “Learning Materials.” The course pairs well with the Fall 2023 course, LIB416 Hemingway's Paris of the 1920s, but LIB416 is not a prerequisite.
A $50 discount will be applied automatically for adults 55+.
This course will be offered online on Fridays, Oct 25 - Nov 29, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Overview
Location: Online
Format: Self-paced with weekly virtual class
Duration: 6 weeks
Tuition: $180
Can be applied to:
Liberal Arts for 55+ Certificate
Upcoming Offerings
- Fri, Oct 25, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time (virtual class)
- Fri, Nov 1, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time (virtual class)
- Fri, Nov 8, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time (virtual class)
- Fri, Nov 15, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time (virtual class)
- Fri, Nov 22, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time (virtual class)
- Fri, Nov 29, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time (virtual class)
Course outline
- Week 1: Background to the collection
The scope and horrors of the First World War and its aftermath. The publication history of In Our Time. Exploring the possible unity of the volume. - Week 2: Biographical material
Hemingway’s childhood and youth, and his war experience. Hemingway and Cezanne—the “interchapters.” Introduction of the character Nick Adams. The first two stories we will read deal with Nick’s childhood in northern Michigan. - Week 3: Nick and adolescence
The next stories have to do with a teenaged Nick navigating male friendship, female relationship and potential violence. The story “The Battler,” in particular, introduces us to some marginal, boundary figures and suggestive themes. - Week 4: Post-war adjustments, personal and political
This week’s reading includes a perceptive story on a U.S. soldier’s attempt to adjust to “normal” life after his war experience, as well as an idealistic Hungarian communist in the first years after the war. - Week 5: Hemingway’s “marriage group”
There follows in the volume a series of stories focused on married couples. Here we see Hemingway at his finest, capturing in dialogue the essence of complex relationships and their dynamics. - Week 6: Nick and renewal
The volume ends with a story that seems an odd choice (“My Old Man”), followed by a two-part story that suggests how an individual like Nick Adams might recover from the horrors of his war experience. We will also reflect on how the interchapters have operated throughout the volume.
What you will learn
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Give examples of biographical events in the author’s life that inform his early stories
- Summarize the main features of “the lost generation”
- Describe Ernest Hemingway’s skilled presentation of dialogue
- Explain the relationship between historical/biographical fact and fiction
How you will learn
- Participation in Zoom seminars
- Participation in class discussions
- Responding to weekly questions sent ahead of class meeting times
- Supplementary resources accessed through Canvas
- Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)
Learning Materials
You should obtain a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s In Our Time, which can be found at local bookstores or libraries. You can access a free electronic version through Wikimedia Commons. A PDF version will also be available through Canvas, along with other learning materials.
Technical Requirements
For online courses, you will need a computer with audio and microphone that is connected to the internet. Canvas is the online system that will be used for the course. For more information and online support, visit Online Learning.