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1、The Contrast between Fitzgeralds and Hemingways Writing StyleI. Introduction Fitzgerald and Hemingway were two of the most distinguished writers in American literature. They grew up in the same period and in the same social situation. Their works are the symbols of that age. On the writing style and
2、 narrative skills, Hemingway created the brief and concise style while Fitzgeralds style is smooth sensitive. They like two peals, which glittered in the 20th century literature circles. II. The writing styles of the writers2.1 Fitzgeralds writing styleFitzgeralds writing style was the symbol of an
3、agethe1920s, or “the jazz age”, he became the “angel of the twenties” and he was thought to be the “laurel poet of jazz age”. Fitzgerald was part of the 1920s and eventually died of it. His greatness lies in the fact that he used his personal experience and created a myth of American life. The hollo
4、wness of American worship of riches and the unending American dream of love, splendor were portrayed by Fitzgeralds works. Some people said Fitzgerald was one of the great stylists in American literature. Fitzgeralds prose is smooth, sensitive, and completely original in its diction and metaphors. I
5、ts simplicity and gracefulness, its skill in manipulating the relation between the general and the specific, its bold impressionistic and colorful quality, in short, its competence convey the vision of the author all reveal Fitzgeralds consummate artistry (Hu Zhuanglin, A Survey of American Literatu
6、re, p293). Fitzgerald not only portrayed the life of one generation. The words, which were created by him, have the important parts of contemporary English literature and English language.2.1 Hemingways writing style Hemingways books painted the image of a whole generationthe lost generation. There
7、were a lot of comments on Hemingways writing style. However, all seem to agree on the simplicity and apparent naturalness of his prose, and its effect of directness, clarity and freshness. He developed a spare, tight, reportorial prose based on simple sentence structure and using a restricted vocabu
8、lary, precise imagery, and an impersonal, dramatic tone. This is true that Hemingway always managed to choose the words concrete, specific, more commonly found, more casual and conversational, and employed them often in syntax of short, simple sentence, which are orderly and patterned, and sometimes
9、 ungrammatical. Hemingways strength lays in short sentences and very specific details.III. The important reasons There are so many reasons big or small which caused the differences of Fitzgeralds and Hemingways writing style. In this part I will use 4 main parts to explain the important reasons that
10、 caused the differences between Fitzgerald and Hemingway. These reasons are social situation, the life style, the attitude toward the war and the personality. 3.1 The social situations They lived in the world after the First World War, which was quite different is quite different from before. All th
11、e old things were gone, and everything was new. The disillusionment with the war, the new inventions, especially the new automobile changed the lives of the people. There was affluence and excitement on the one hand, and the other, disturbing indications that the old world was simply dying. Against
12、the social background Fitzgerald and Hemingway wrote. Fitzgerald was an analyst. He stayed in the United States and wrote about the jazz age. Hemingway, on the other hand, he did not describe it. He went away to Europe and wrote about the expatriates. His world was basically rootless. It is Fitzgera
13、ld who was so broken emotionally by the failure of American dream. So they reacted differently to their times. Both were talented writers; both lost the ability to write rather early in their career. Hemingway was famous for his style and Fitzgerald for the fact that he tried to understand American
14、culture at its roots and thus had more to say to the following generations. The social situation of that age was reflected respectively in Fitzgerald and Hemingways works. This Side of Paradise was the first novel of Fitzgerald. In this novel Fitzgerald successfully portrayed “a generation grow up t
15、o find all gods dead, all wars fought, all faith in man shaken.” Fitzgerald true described the “the roaring” of the post-war boom years. This book became immensely popular for the simple reason that it caught the tone of the age. After that, Fitzgerald wrote several short stories, such as Flappers a
16、nd Philosophers. Our countrys famous professor Chang Yaoxin in his book A Survey of American Literature said that, Fitzgeralds Tales of the Jazz Age which, like Mark Twain the gilded age, give its name to an important history period in the history of the country. The 1920s or “the jazz age”, was, in
17、 the words of Malcolm Crowley, “not so much a history period as a legend of glitter, of recklessness, and of talent in such profusion that it was snow broadcast like wild oats”. It was a legend of “Americas adolescence before pain set in”. And Fitzgeralds other works such as The Beautiful and Dammed
18、 and his masterpiece The Great Gatsby nearly became the most distinguished books from which people can know the social situation of that age clearly. And his books became the life guide which lead the young readers have a clear knowledge of life.I think most of us are not unfamiliar with Hemingways
19、works. His books are also the symbols of that age. Hemingways first import novel The Sun Also Rises attracted a great deal of attention after it had been published. Hemingways book paints the image of a whole generation, the lost generation. “This included this young English and American expatriates
20、 as well as men and women caught in the war and cut off from the from the old young values and yet unable to come to terms with new era with the new era when civilization had gone mad.”(Chang Yaoxin in his book A Survey of American Literature). In this book the peoples life especially the young gene
21、rations life after the First World War was portrayed incisively and vividly. The people were wondering the things like fishing, swimming, bullfighting and beauties of nature. But meanwhile they acknowledged that the world was crazy and meaningless. The social situation was mess and chaos. Hemingways
22、 another important novel A Farewell to Arms also explained how people come to behave the way they did in that age. This book caught the mood of the post-war generation. Hemingways position as a writer was confirmed with the publication of this book. “This novel portrayed a farewell both to war and t
23、o love. Hemingway had rejected the romantic ideal of the ultimate unity of lovers, suggesting instead that all relationships must end in death.”(Wu Weiren). So, Hemingways works have sometimes been read as an essentially negative commentary on a modern world filled with sterilely, failure, and death
24、. All in all, I think we have to acknowledge that the social situation was the biggest reason, which influenced Fitzgerald and Hemingways writing style. But that is not only this reason that caused the differences of Fitzgerald and Hemingways writing style. In my opinion, the writers lifestyles are
25、the important reason too. 3.2 The life style Fitzgerald lived in an expensive style. For him, who lived in the midst of the “roaring twenties” and was part of it all: driving fast cars drinking hard whisky, and taking an immense delight in it. Three things eventually combined to break him down: lone
26、liness, alcohol, and the awareness that he was wasting his talent. Fitzgerald had always stood mentally aloof from the spectacle that kept passing before him. Fitzgerald was always a heavy drinker. He always tried to find the solace in his cups. It was alcohol as much as anything that killed him in
27、the end. Fitzgerald was tormented virtually all his life by the fact that he could not concentrate on the novel and the improvement of his art in general.Nearly all the Fitzgeralds books are the true reflection of the authors life. Fitzgeralds life was changed after he met Zelda who was the daughter
28、 of a judge. Zelda was a beautiful social girl, who told Fitzgerald that she liked him well enough but was too expensive for him. Just like the professor Chang Yaoxin in his book said: after Fitzgerald discharge from the army early in 1919,it became apparent that he had no means of supporting this w
29、oman with such great financial and social expectations, he had no way of making a fortune by writing advertisement in new York. Zelda soon broke their engagement. But when This Said of Paradise was published Zelda agreed to marry Fitzgerald.” Then his second novel The Beautiful and Dammed was publis
30、hed. He wrote, as usual, a great deal of himself into it. Here is a world of parties, and amid boisterous, reckless merry-making, there is unmistakable anxiety over money, gloomy spiritual barrenness and a hint of decadence and decay. Because Fitzgerald put his own life experience into his novels an
31、d short stories, his writing style is smooth and vivid. For this the works that he left to the after generation are full of strong vitality and have deeply history marks. So these books can attract so much attention and lasted for several posterities. And they have become the valuable treasure of li
32、terature.On the other hand, Hemingways life was totally different from the Fitzgeralds. Hemingway was a myth in his own time, and a myth in American literature. “He was a glamorous public hero of sorts whose style of writing and living was probably more imitated than other writers in human memory.”
33、That was the reason why he liked sports of all kinds and was thought of as one going deep-sea fishing, big game hunting, becoming a prize ring boxer. But his life style was evidently negative. Hemingway saw life was full of battles and tension. Compared with Fitzgerald, Hemingways position was lower
34、 than Fitzgerald at first and lacked financial resources. But the poverty and adversity always encouraged people to work harder. The hard life can sharpen ones will and temper ones spirit. So the relatively poor lifestyle urged Hemingways fully devotion to the literature, and he was full of confiden
35、ce to the future. “All of his works dramatize his concept of life, which it is dangerous and always ready to defeat and destroy you, but that, if you keep calm and in your set of principles, get nothing except, perhaps, the knowledge that you played well.” Hemingways life was usually characterized b
36、y chaos and brutality and violence, (as in A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls), by crime and death (as in To Have and Have Not), and sport, hard drinking and sexual promiscuity (as in The Sun Also Rises and some short stories). Hemingways novels and short stories described the lost generati
37、on thoroughly. We know The Sun Also Rises is the representative work of the lost generation. Jake Barnes, Robert Cohn, and Brett Ashley are the main characters of this book. “Their whole life is under cut and defeated. Jake Barnes, the protagonists, wounded and made sexually important in the war, fi
38、nds life a nightmare after it. The only strength to live on with any dignity comes from nowhere but himself. He comes to see that in a world in which “all is vanity and vexation of spirit” there is nothing one can do but to take care of ones own life and be taught against fate and taught with grace
39、under pressure. Jake Barnes is really a fisher king in a wasteland. His physical impotence is a token of modern mans spiritual impotence.” So this book paints the image of the lost generation vividly.待添加的隐藏文字内容33.3 The warAnother important reason caused the differences of theirs is the war. They had
40、 different attitude toward war. It was said that, once when Hemingway and Fitzgerald were about the war themes, Hemingway said: “the reason why you felt deep heartache when you mentioned war is that you didnt experience it. War is the best theme of literature. It supplies the writing source material
41、s largely, which makes you have quick thought and rapid action. Even if you are waiting for the whole life you can not get the experiences about war.” (Carlos baker, Ernest Hemingway: selected letters, p.44) Hemingway thought, one must have the true experience to describe the war. Although Fitzgeral
42、d had joined in army, but he didnt participate the First World War. As a result he lost the chance to learn the felling of the war. Fitzgerald always thought it was a big matter of regret. However, Fitzgerald lack of the true feeling of First World War, which didnt affect his attitude toward the Fir
43、st World War. He believed, as an artist, he could absolutely depend on his own acute observation and plentiful imagination to achieve the same writing purpose that has equal effect. “Although you didnt participate the military activities directly, you can get the indirect experience at least. Becaus
44、e you can strongly feel the cruelty of war, you can face the reality form the backdoor.” (F. Scott Fitzgerald, afternoon of an author, p.186.) Fitzgerald just used his own plentiful imagination and acute observation to describe the brutal scenes of war. Although, these two famous writers have differ
45、ent opinions of how to portray the war, their work are all revealed the reality that war described mans spirit and social civilization from different angles and levels. 3.4 The personalityLast but not the least, the different personalities of these two writers also became the reason that caused thei
46、r differences of writing style. Fitzgerald was an outstanding genius who has dual personalities. He not only had high literature talent and the emotion to become “the greatest writer”, but also always frittered away his talent. He not only admired “the freedom and charm which the rich people have, b
47、ut also he have the clearly realization that there was a deeply gap between high heeled rich people and normal people; he not only participate the chaos of merrymaking, but also he could stood mentally aloof from the spectacles which kept passing before him. Fitzgerald always used his own severe nor
48、mal standard to judge things around him. Fitzgerald had weak personality, but he was stronger than Hemingway when he faced misfortunes. Hemingway was harsh to other person; he was always ruthless to other person when they disturb his writing or against his will. When Hemingway faced the difficulties of marriage, he would choose divorce without hesitation. In the latter part of his life, Hemingway chose gun suicide. But Fitzgerald was not like Hemingway; he was tolerant to other person. He endured all kinds of misfortune of last period of 1930s. Even when his wife went mad, he still looked a
