Indian Camp & the Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber 1. Lesson
Fachdidaktik II FS 2011 Marc Roobol, André Schaufelberger
2 lessonplan: Indian Camp & The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
1. Lesson: - Homework for this lesson: read Indian Camp + choose certain parts of interest to discuss in class
- Possible topics: masculinity turn of a typically female act in a female space into a male-dominated situation, suicide, stoicism, ...
- Aim: students have the opportunity to talk about what they are interested in, make students aware of critical thinking
- Backup: teacher gives some information on Ernest Hemingway, if necessary
- Homework: depending on level of class let them read a part or the whole short story “Francis Macomber”
2. Lesson: - Ask one two students for a summary of what they read
- Then, every student reads a small passage reading exercise
- Next, the teacher gives a certain passage which is to be discussed in class
- After this, students in groups of 4-5 choose a passage of their choice and present it to the class
- At the end teacher asks class to compare Indian Camp with Francis Macomber what seems to be common in Hemingway’s short stories? Fachdidaktik II FS 2011 Marc Roobol, André Schaufelberger
What expectations setting: USA, 1924?, iceberg theory: crux do the titles (Indian early morning (dark), of the story lies below
Camp, One Night dawn, sunny morning the surface. What is Last Summer), cover the reader (not) told? images, and editions linear plot: reading > life - death, (un-) (In Our Time, The conscious, read - “understanding” Nick Adams Stories) interpret, (in-)visible, raise? Which one language - thoughts, would you choose? perspective: form - function, focalizer (see: young character’s present - Nick) and narrator past/future, action (tell: older Nick?); (what) - motive (why) childhood experience haunting the adult? theme: birth/life and death, innocence - character: two style: parataxis, “the” initiation - experience, Indians, Nick, father, instead of “a”, acquisition of know- Uncle George, Indian fragmented, jumpy, ledge, death (not) lady, old woman, juvenile, coordination entering the world, men, husband, baby; (no subordination, no Adam (and Eve), Nick who speaks? emphasis) Adams Fachdidaktik II FS 2011 Marc Roobol, André Schaufelberger
Indian Camp / One Night Last Summer
The Nick Adams Stories / In Our Time Fachdidaktik II FS 2011 Marc Roobol, André Schaufelberger
Ernest Hemingway Indian Camp
setting character plot perspective theme style
paratactic style parataxis (from Greek for ‘beside arrangement’) The arrangement of sentences or clauses in coordinate rather than subordinate constructions.
For example: At the lake shore there was another rowboat drawn up. The two Indians stood waiting.
(NOT: Another rowboat was drawn up at the lake shore where the two Indians stood waiting.) Fachdidaktik II FS 2011 Marc Roobol, André Schaufelberger movie: lion 35:00- setting: Africa, (high) movie: buffalo 1:08: 41:50 (p.8-19) noon, safari 47-1:17:20 (p.17-20)
character represent- plot: represented iceberg theory: crux tation of Macomber, through dialogue, of the story lies below
Margot, Robert implicit (not explicit), the surface. life - Wilson in the movie? analepsis (flashback) death, character’s
present - past/future, action (what) - motive from movie to text/ perspective: narrator group work task: withholding certain (why); fill out iceberg close reading of information sheet in class selected passages symbols: animals, theme: cowardice, lion, characters’ courage, life and seating positions death, gracefully movie: Macomber – hero’s task to face rabbit 46:06-49:38 their own mortality, style: hypotaxis, long-winded life in the presence of Hemingway sentences, passages death, adultery; biography of dialogue personalising task
Fachdidaktik II FS 2011 Marc Roobol, André Schaufelberger
Passages to be discussed: The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
- His wife had been through with him before but it never lasted. He was very wealthy, and would be much wealthier, and he knew she would not leave him ever now. That was one of the few things that he really knew. He knew about that, about motorcycles—that was earliest—about motor cars, about duck-shooting, about fishing, trout, salmon and big-sea, about sex in books, many books, too many books, about all court games, about dogs, not much about horses, about hanging on to his money, about most of the other things his world dealt in, and about his wife not leaving him. His wife had been a great beauty and she was still a great beauty in Africa, but she was not a great enough beauty any more at home to be able to leave him and better herself and she knew it and he knew it. She had missed the chance to leave him and he knew it. If he had been better with women she would probably have started to worry about him getting another new, beautiful wife; but she knew too much about him to worry about him either. ... Margot was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce her and Macomber had too much money for Margot ever to leave him. (page 11)
- At the end of that time his wife came into the tent, lifted her mosquito bar and crawled cozily into bed. “Where have you been?” Macomber asked in the darkness. “Hello,” she said. “Are you awake?” “Where have you been?” “I just went out to get a breath of air.” “You did, like hell.” “What do you want me to say, darling?” “Where have you been?” “Out to get a breath of air.” “That３s a new name for it. You are a bitch.” “Well, you３re coward.” “All right,” he said. “What of it?” “Nothing as far as I３m concerned. But please let３s not talk, darling, because I３m very sleepy.” “You think that I３ll take anything.” “I know you will, sweet.” “Well, I won３t.” “Please, darling, let３s not talk. I３m so very sleepy.” “There wasn３t going to be any of that. You promised there wouldn３t be.” “Well, there is now,” she said sweetly. “You said if we made this trip that there would be none of that. You promised.” “Yes, darling. That３s the way I meant it to be. But the trip was spoiled yesterday. We don３t have to talk about it, do we?” “You don３t wait long when you have an advantage, do you?” “Please let３s not talk. I”m so sleepy, darling.” “I３m going to talk.” “Don３t mind me then, because I３m going to sleep.” And she did. (page 12)
- “Thanks, yes, Macomber said. He expected the feeling he had had about the lion to come back but it did not. For the first time in his life he really felt wholly without fear. Instead of fear he had a feeling of definite elation. (page 16)
Tasks:
1. Read the passages and summarise them in your own words. 2. How would you describe the relationship of the Macombers? 3. At the end of the story, Hemingway leaves it open whether Francis Macomber was accidentally or intentionally killed by his wife. What do you make of it taking these passages into account? Fachdidaktik II FS 2011 Marc Roobol, André Schaufelberger
Ernest Hemingway
“If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing”.
Fachdidaktik II FS 2011 Marc Roobol, André Schaufelberger
character’s language
character’s form present
facts action
conscious (what)
read level life
interpret unconscious
level
death
character’s
past/future
function motive symbols (why)
character’s thoughts
Fachdidaktik II FS 2011 Marc Roobol, André Schaufelberger