i This dissertation has been microfilmed exactly as received 70-6903 WALKER, Emma Clement, 1909- A STUDY OF THE FICTION OF HEMINGWAY AND FAULKNER IN A COLLEGE SOPHOMORE ENGLISH CLASS. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1969 Education, adult University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan © Copyright by Emma Clement Walker 1970 A STUDY OF THE FICTION OF HEMINGWAY AND FAULKNER IN A COLLEGE SOPHOMORE ENGLISH CLASS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Bnrna Clement Walker, A. B., M. A. The Ohio State University, 1969 Approved By Aflvisor College of Education Acknowledgments I wish to express sincere thanks to those persons who have assisted me in compiling the data for this study. To Dr. Everett Kircher and Dr. Francis Utley, I express my gratitude for their many suggestions. To the students and faculty at Tuskegee Institute and at The Fort Valley State College who shared these experiences, I am grateful. To Mrs. Shirley Pearson and to Mrs. Anne Corley, who spent long hours typing and proofreading, I am indebted. To my husband, whose patience and understanding were constant, and without whose encouragement this study would not have been completed, I am most appreciative. To Dr. Wilfred Eberhart, whose supervision, patience, and meticulousness were of inestimable value, I give special thanks. Vita I, b a Clement Walker, was b o m in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 19, 1909, the seventh child of a minister, George Clinton Clement, who became a Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and Emma Clarissa Clement, who was named "American Mother" for 19U6« After graduating from the public schools of Louisville, Kentucky, I matriculated at Livingstone College, Salisbury, North Carolina, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts (1930) and attending the Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia, receiving the degree of Master of Arts (19Ul). I have taught at Dinwiddie Normal and Industrial School, Dinwiddle, Virginiaj the John G. Fee High School, Maysville, Kentucky; Kentucky State College, Frankfort, Kentucky; Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama; and The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee. I am presently employed at The Fort Valley State College, Fort Valley, Georgia, where I taught for two years prior to working at Tuskegee Institute. I am married to Saunders E. Walker, Professor of English and Chairman, Division of Humanities, Fort Valley State College. I am the mother of one child, Sandra* a junior at Ratcliffe College. ill TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii VITA iii I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. Thesis statement. .............................. B. Scopes limitations and assumptions . ...... C. Teaching Methodology. ........... II. Hemingway and Faulkner 12 A. Biographical data .... ......... B. Literary influences ........... C. Themes, theories, and philosophies............... 1. In the short stories............. 2. In the novels............................. III. Teaching: Methods and Evaluation................... 180 A. Assignments.................... ...... B. Source materials: articles, books, other media. C. Activities.................................... 1. Class study: reading, discussion, and analysis .... .............. ...... 2. Interpretations by presentations ........... 3. Reporting: student evaluation of presentations.................. .. lu Writing: criticisms — historical, analytical, evaluative .................... f>. Reviews and discussions of different works • . 6. Over-all appraisals: strengths and weaknesses of unit ............. ...... IV. Summary and Recommendations ,216' V. Appendix .254 VI. Bibliography .25^ Introduction The Study of tbs Fiction of Hemingway and Faulkner In a College Sophomore I&sglish Class The Problem During this period of world unrest* young American adults must be made aware of conflicting values! thus it is the purpose of this study to develop a plan for helping students* through the study of literature* to examine major controversial issues* to make choices among conflicting values* and to provide a breadth of experience toward preserving a way of life «h their heritage © Because fiction offers information pertinent to the problems confronting students* this investigation explores a topic which mirrors society* poses problems* and suggests possible answers to some of the questions troubling American citizens at the present time© It is hoped that as students grow emotionally* intellectually* and spiritually-* they may be stimun lated* through the examination of fiction* to think critically* communicate effectively* and attain a rational view of man and society© The investigator proposes to review here the short stories and novels of Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner* both notableliters of fiction portraying the human equation in the twentieth centuryi these two writers appear comparable in reputation and stature. Special attention will be given to Faulkner because he comes from the same region as do most of the students! because there have appeared numerous studies, reviews, and criticisms of his work by leading critics during the last few years| and because it is believed that many of the students can readily identify themselves with the way of life Faulkner presents. The study will examine the underlying philosophies and styles of both authors in order to provide means of interpretation and evaluation. The responsibility of the teacher is to provide intensive and extensive study and to encourage individual and group analysis, thereby increasing student comprehension of fiction as an art form that illuminates human experience. It should be the aim of the teacher to provide opportunities for maximal learning! to point to qualities of good literature which evoke emotional responses! to help students see how authors present their view of life, how they treat basic themes, and how, through implication, meaning, and overtones, they build literary patterns. For both authors the works to be examined will include those short stories most frequently anthologized and some of the novels. The stories of Ernest Hemingway, taken from In Our Time. Men Without Women, and Winner Take Nothing. are ’’Fathers and Sons,” "The Undefeated,” "Old Man at the Bridge, "After the Storm," "The Killers," "Fifty Grand," "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," "The End of Something," "In Another Country," "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," "The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber," and "Now I Lay Me." The novels are The Sun Also Risesa For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea» The short stories of Faulkner, taken from Collected Stories, Go Down, Moses, and The Hamlet, are "Two Soldiers," "Death Drag," "All the Dead Pilots," "Red Leaves," "Golden Land," "Dry September," "A Justice, "The Bear," "That Evening Sun," "Percy Grimm," "A Rose for Emily," and "Spotted Horses." The novels are The Unvanquisfaed. The Sound and the Fury. A3 I Lay Dying. Light in August, and The Reivers. In dealing with these authors, students will note parallels and contrasts of theories and philosophies regarding such themes as war, violence, and morality; attitudes toward love and death; and types of humor. The study of style will stress symbols and figures of speech, control through structure, and point of view and language as they relate to character, action and atmosphere. Scope The investigator assumes that such a study may prove beneficial for both students and teachers by arousing interest in and deepening understanding of key problems of today; that some formal work with literature has been completed by the students in the secondary schools, with emphasis on American and I&iglish literature in grades eleven and twelve, respectively; that additional study has been undertaken on the freshman college level. It should be noted that the present sophomore survey course is divided into two quarters, with special attention given to contemporary writers during ihe second quarter. These students, who come primarily from the Southern region, are enrolled in the School of Education; however, plans are underway for a major in English in the Humanities Division at The Fort Valley State College. Prior to their matriculation in college, they have had courses in American literature and English literature, but they have not read many of the primary works in their entirety. Often their only acquaintance with a major author has come from the study of a brief excerpt from a larger work. Usually, sophomores in survey courses in literature follow an anthology approved by the state. In some instances, however, the text is supplemented by paperback editions of individual authors. The class often begins with an intensive study of contemporary authors and then moves backward in time in order to explore ideologies in depth. The study will examine underlying philosophies and styles in order to stimulate interpretation and evaluation and to analyze characterization, plot, and setting. The responsibility of the teacher will be to provide intensive and extensive reading and to encourage individual and group analysis resulting in increased student comprehension of fiction as an art form illuminating human experience. Teaching Methodology The unit on Hemingway and Faulkner will require students to read selected works from the authors and to submit papers analyzing themes and styles. It will extend over a period of eight weeks and will be flexible. During the period of study, the teacher will provide provocative questions,