Fitzgerald-wilson-hemingway: Language And Experience
by Ronald Berman /
2003 / English / PDF
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In this study, Ronald Berman examines the work of the
critic/novelist Edmund Wilson and the art of F. Scott
Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway as they wrestled with the
problems of language, experience, perception and reality in the
"age of jazz." By focusing specifically on aesthetics—the ways
these writers translated everyday reality into language—Berman
challenges and redefines many routinely accepted ideas
concerning the legacy of these authors.
In this study, Ronald Berman examines the work of the
critic/novelist Edmund Wilson and the art of F. Scott
Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway as they wrestled with the
problems of language, experience, perception and reality in the
"age of jazz." By focusing specifically on aesthetics—the ways
these writers translated everyday reality into language—Berman
challenges and redefines many routinely accepted ideas
concerning the legacy of these authors.
Fitzgerald is generally thought of as a romantic, but Berman
shows that we need to expand the idea of Romanticism to include
its philosophy. Hemingway, widely viewed as a stylist who
captured experience by simplifying language, is revealed as
consciously demonstrating reality's resistance to language.
Between these two renowned writers stands Wilson, who is
critically influenced by Alfred North Whitehead, as well as
Dewey, James, Santayana, and Freud.
Fitzgerald is generally thought of as a romantic, but Berman
shows that we need to expand the idea of Romanticism to include
its philosophy. Hemingway, widely viewed as a stylist who
captured experience by simplifying language, is revealed as
consciously demonstrating reality's resistance to language.
Between these two renowned writers stands Wilson, who is
critically influenced by Alfred North Whitehead, as well as
Dewey, James, Santayana, and Freud.
By patiently mapping the correctness of these philosophers,
historians, literary critics and writers, Berman aims to open a
gateway into the era. This work should be of interest to
scholars of American literature, philosophy and aesthetics; to
academic libraries; to students of intellectual history; and to
general readers interested in Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Wilson.
By patiently mapping the correctness of these philosophers,
historians, literary critics and writers, Berman aims to open a
gateway into the era. This work should be of interest to
scholars of American literature, philosophy and aesthetics; to
academic libraries; to students of intellectual history; and to
general readers interested in Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Wilson.