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,
their work as journalists, their participation in the Spanish
Civil War, their political convictions, 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 respond in life and art to
World War I, the Depression, the Spanish Civil War, World War
II, the decline of the British Empire, and the Cold War? How do
they exemplify "the plain style?" What codes of masculinity
operate in their work, and how do they represent women? Course
work will include frequent short written responses to the
readings, a brief review of a critical article, a mid-term essay
comparing a work by each writer, and a final research paper on a
topic of the student's choice.