… these stories deal with masculine toughness unsoftened by woman’s hand …
Hemingway : Vulnerability in Short Fiction
Courage in the moment of crisis demanding urgent action, whilst still putting the heart on the line : this is the lesson that Hemingway’s best fiction teaches. Lost was the generation from which Hemingway became Hemingway, yet his Art survived with grace. We intercept and interject Hemingway and his fictional world, time and again, during this course, to imbibe our lives with a comprehension of vulnerability. Often, only the impression left by minimal words on our hearts may last a lifetime. Our aim, here, is to emulate Hemingway in expressing our vulnerability, not to people but to our own hearts, through the pages which lay blank in front of our typewriters. So, let’s punch on !
Interpretations and biographical elements from the books Write Like the Masters : Emulating the Best by William Cane and Hemingway on Writing by Larry W Phillips will be constant features, regularly discussed alongside the fictional stories of Hemingway.
How this course works
The participants and the instructor meet on the decided weekly timing via a group Skype, for a session of textual analysis of the short stories selected for that week. The guide offers at once the keys to participants to enter and further explore the texts on their own, and a personal reading rich with originality and creative potential. Participative responses are encouraged across the session, during the exercise of textual analysis by the instructor and through the open discussion.
In the course of the second month of this course, the study of Hemingway’s short fiction is complemented with CineWords, our participative exchange of movie interpretation, based on the film The Killers (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1956) (more details here), selected by the guide in relation to the course. This participative session takes place through a group Skype.
Finally, also during the second month of this course, the group connects for a live Questions & Answers session with the instructor. The session is optional, and based on the questions of the participants.
Term Course
Duration : 8 weekly sessions of 90 minutes each
Dates and Times : decided with the participants
Modality : Skype Videoconference
Open to : All · No pre-requisites
At IST, a new edition of each course is organised upon 3 confirmed participants
For the 12-week version of this course held in Jan-March 2017, visit here.
TEXTS COVERED
Men Without Women
1927
Winner Take Nothing
1933
The Snows of Kilinamjaro and Other Stories
1961
(Short stories published separately
in 1936 and 1938)
Hemingway on Writing
By Larry W Phillips
1999
TIMELINE
The session dates for the next edition of this course will be set
based on the common availability of the registrants.
Session 1
Introduction : Hemingway’s back story, childhood influences, women, World War I, bullfighting, fishing and big-game hunting, alcoholism, suicide.
Session 2
Textual Analyses and Discussions of excerpts from :
“The Killers” from Men Without Women.
“Cat in the Rain” from Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories.
“Soldier’s Home” from Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories.
“One Reader Writes” from Winner Take Nothing.
Session 3
Textual Analyses and Discussions of excerpts from :
“Up in Michigan” from Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories.
“Fifty Grand” from Men Without Women.
“The End of Something” from In Our Time (bonus story)
Discussion on a recurring Hemingway character, Nick Adams, and how he is the most auto-biographical of all Hemingway characters.
Session 4
Writing Like Hemingway Session :
Textual Analyses and Discussions of excerpts from :
“Shortest Story ever written”
Understanding the Iceberg Theory
Applying the Iceberg Theory to understand stories covered in previous sessions.
Session 5
Textual Analyses and Discussions of excerpts from :
“A Day’s Wait” from Winner Take Nothing
“A Simple Enquiry” from Men Without Women
“Now I Lay Me” from Men Without Women
“Indian Camp” from In Our Time (bonus story)
Session 6
Textual Analyses and Discussions of excerpts from :
“Hills Like White Elephants” from Men Without Women
Writing Session
Session 7
Textual Analyses and Discussions of excerpts from :
“Snows of Kilimanjaro” from Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories
Writing Session
Session 8
Concluding Session : A Farewell to Writing Arms.
Homework – Write an autobiographical story with a tragic ending.
CineWords
Participative discussion on the following film, with open interpretations and cross-analyses with the text of the course.
The Killers (Andrie Tarkovsky, 1956) – based on Hemingway’s short story (details).
The participants will be shared the link to watch the movie online. They are expected to join the discussion after having watched the movie on their own.
Questions & Answers
Questions & Answers session.
Doubt clearing session about previous sessions.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Akshansh Singh
Instructor
Experience with the Texts of this Course : 5 years +
Masculinity comes hard to boys. Hemingway redefined masculinity in fiction. I learnt from his works that being vulnerable is being brave. Hemingway wrote somewhere : “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places.” I found Hemingway when I was broken. And I am strong at broken places, courtesy – Hemingway.
Akshansh Singh is an Indian writer currently based in Dubai.
Discover his courses here.
PARTICIPATION
CONTRIBUTION
The financial contribution is open
beyond a minimum amount of
59.00 $
or the equivalent in your local currency
Check the conversion rates here
8 Sessions of Textual Analysis
1 CineWords Discussion
1 Questions and Answers session
Reading Material in soft copy
Instructor’s Notes for each session
HD Audio Recordings of the sessions
PRE-REGISTRATION
A new edition of this course will be organised
upon 3 confirmed registrations