A Moveable Feast a True Look Into Literary History

Narratively speaking, A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway is the story of a young, impoverished artist living in Paris.  However, it is clear in the memoir style of the novel that Hemingway’s protagonist is a direct representation of himself.  Through this, the author paints a picture of his younger self—of his mistakes and missteps, but with a shading of nostalgia for the struggle and hardship that set his career as a writer in motion.  While all of these things are made clear, the novel does not focus on the protagonist; according to a review recently completed by About Education, Hemingway uses the narrative to detail his friends and acquaintances of the time period, observing and analyzing their characters.

Through these portrayals, Hemingway explores several of his well-known acquaintances, including Ford Maddox Ford, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein.  Stein is particularly emphasized, playing a large role in the book, as she serves as a key mentor to Hemingway.  He manages to portray her as self-serving and, yet, somehow still inherently likeable.  There are also several anecdotes included that cover some of Hemingway’s time with F. Scott Fitzgerald.  In one such story, Fitzgerald and Hemingway embark on a road trip, during with Fitzgerald tells of his hardships with his wife, who he claims is jealous and works to tear his own confidence down, resulting in depression.  At the end of the tale, Fitzgerald asks Hemingway for some form of reassurance.

On his own front, Hemingway uses the novel to chronicle his path of transition into an excellent writer.  He details how he believes writing should be done and performed, including his inclination towards the subconscious processes involved in the task.  Hemingway also uses the novel to broadcast his strong belief that truth is the key to successful writing.  The theme of the book is that the best and author can do is write the truth, and that that is the only way to write something useful and productive.

from Laura Flippin http://ift.tt/1ByuU4e Laura Flippin's new blog post: