Office: 407 BH (898-7360) Hours: By Appointment
E-Mail: despey@english
Texts: (at the Penn Book Center)
Orwell

• Down and Out in Paris and London
• Burmese Days
• Homage to Catalonia
• Animal Farm
• A Collection of Essays

Hemingway

• A Farewell to Arms
• A Moveable Feast
• The Sun Also Rises
• For Whom the Bell Tolls
• The Old Man and the Sea
• The Short Stories

This course will compare the works and careers of George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway as modernists and witnesses to major political and historical events in the first half of the 20th century. We'll focus especially on their expatriate experiences, journalism, participation in the Spanish Civil War, their political involvements, and the development of their literary reputations. We'll pay particular attention to the following questions: What is the relation of each writer's life to his art, and his non-fiction to his fiction? How are differences between English and American culture reflected in their life and work? How do they react in life and art to World War I, the Depression, the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the decline of the British Empire, the Cold War? How do they exemplify "the plain style?" What codes of masculinity operate in their work? Course work will include frequent short written responses to the readings and participation in class and e-mail discussions (30%). There will be three longer pieces of writing, to be submitted in draft and revised for a final portfolio: a 2-3 pp. review of a critical article for class presentation (15 %) , a 4-5 pp. comparison of two works by the writers (25%), and a final paper (8 pp) on a topic of your choice (30%). Since a good knowledge of each writer's life is essential for the course, I have placed on reserve copies of the major biographies and biographical studies of Orwell and Hemingway as well as Orwell's collected letters and journalism and Hemingway's major non-fiction works.