Discovering another Classic

I have unexpectedly fallen in love with Ernest Hemingway. As I’m working toward my goal of reading ten classic novels in 2018 previously undiscovered by this fake English major, I picked up A Farewell to Arms while at the library a couple of weeks ago, and finally began reading it last week.

I’m sure I’ve read something by Hemingway at some point; there’s a niggling idea in the back of my brain that The Old Man and the Sea was required reading in high school. I also have this just-below-my-conscious-thought idea that I don’t like his style. Given that I can’t remember with confidence whether I’ve actually read any of his works, I think that must be informed by the strong opinions people generally seem to have about his style. As I frequently say, in the absence of information, people make assumptions, and they’re generally negative or bad. In this case, in the absence of information gleaned first-hand, I made the assumption that I wouldn’t like his staccato, almost abrupt writing style, and looked at A Farewell to Arms as the most likely candidate of Hemingway novels I wouldn’t hate, as I at least have an interest in military history.

I can’t remember the last time I was so delighted to be so wrong! This book has engaged me from page one, riveting my attention and making the very long flight to Seattle and back a wonderful chance to immerse myself in reading for pleasure. I’m not quite finished with the book yet; in fact, I have yet to encounter what the book summary calls “one of the greatest moments in literary history” when he describes the German attack on Caporetto. As I thought about how much I’ve enjoyed the story, though, I wanted to capture that feeling of literary awe and excitement while it was fresh.

I’m so glad for my resolution to read ten classics this year. A Tale of Two Cities was wonderful; The Great Gatsby engrossing; Wuthering Heights was very difficult and Heathcliff is thoroughly unlikable but what an incredible tale. I’m not sure what will come after A Farewell to Arms; I snuck Orange is the New Black in there on a recommendation from a friend (more about that another time), and I have a couple of other recent bestsellers on my bedside table at the moment, so I’ll take a bit of a break from heavy intellectual literary pursuit. I think, though, that once I finish number ten, I may just go back and read some more Hemingway. I can almost hear the voice of the characters in his prose, and can imagine the intensity of his writing in each deliberate sentence. It is magical to lose myself in a book – and I expect to get lost again with more from Ernest Hemingway.