Thaddeus, I loved reading " A New Classic...etc." First of all, I love reading about my favorite writers and their opinions. There is the joy of both agreement and disagreement. It's interesting that someone as bright as Hemingway fails to acknowledge L. Frank Baum's THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ as being one of the great American novels and came well before HUCKLEBERRY FINN. It's the first American 'fairy tale,' the first children's book to quote particularly American epithets like "There's No Place Like Home." It's also the first American book a hero, Dorothy Gale, that takes the trip, and does all the things, that the classic hero does.
Huck takes the iconic trip down the Mississippi, but despite his actions towards Jim at the end (he's horrible to him in other parts of the book) he remains a boy of his time. As an educator, I've seen that high schools are dropping HUCKLEBERRY FINN, because it's impossible, and callous, to expose Black children to the language in the book or the way Jim is riduculed by Huck many times.
And here I am thinking why can’t we all just enjoy good writing without comparing this one to that one, or someone to ourselves? Good writing is good writing and just adds to the canon.
Oh right, because writers are humans and have egos.
Oh well, it would be nice if literature could just relax.
Have you read American Renaissance, by F.O. Matthiessen? I've read it twice, or maybe even three times, most recently during the early covid lockdown period. Very strongly recommended. The major sections are on Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville and Whitman, with digressions on dozens of other writers, painters, architects, etc. According to Matthiessen, Emerson gave clear instruction & purpose for a new American literary style, but didn't really find one himself; Hawthorne addressed evil and guilt in the specific context of American puritanism -- and lots more stuff -- it's a 600 page book. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1263626.American_Renaissance
https://open.substack.com/pub/johnnogowski/p/is-hemingways-comment-on-the-mark?r=7pf7u&utm_medium=ios
Thaddeus, I loved reading " A New Classic...etc." First of all, I love reading about my favorite writers and their opinions. There is the joy of both agreement and disagreement. It's interesting that someone as bright as Hemingway fails to acknowledge L. Frank Baum's THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ as being one of the great American novels and came well before HUCKLEBERRY FINN. It's the first American 'fairy tale,' the first children's book to quote particularly American epithets like "There's No Place Like Home." It's also the first American book a hero, Dorothy Gale, that takes the trip, and does all the things, that the classic hero does.
Huck takes the iconic trip down the Mississippi, but despite his actions towards Jim at the end (he's horrible to him in other parts of the book) he remains a boy of his time. As an educator, I've seen that high schools are dropping HUCKLEBERRY FINN, because it's impossible, and callous, to expose Black children to the language in the book or the way Jim is riduculed by Huck many times.
I love To Kill a Mockingbird, but it's run into similar problems.
Exactly, and it's hard to tell kids that the book represents a different time. They don't live in any time but the present.
The surprising thing for me is that Hemingway had any patience for someone as long-winded as James.
Now that you mention it, I had the same reaction.
And here I am thinking why can’t we all just enjoy good writing without comparing this one to that one, or someone to ourselves? Good writing is good writing and just adds to the canon.
Oh right, because writers are humans and have egos.
Oh well, it would be nice if literature could just relax.
Have you read American Renaissance, by F.O. Matthiessen? I've read it twice, or maybe even three times, most recently during the early covid lockdown period. Very strongly recommended. The major sections are on Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville and Whitman, with digressions on dozens of other writers, painters, architects, etc. According to Matthiessen, Emerson gave clear instruction & purpose for a new American literary style, but didn't really find one himself; Hawthorne addressed evil and guilt in the specific context of American puritanism -- and lots more stuff -- it's a 600 page book. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1263626.American_Renaissance
Sounds great. Thank you