Hemingway’s Skill
Jun 11th, 2008 by John
You’ve probably read the “why did the chicken cross the road” jokes as written by famous people.
Buddha:
If you ask this question, you deny your own chicken-nature.
Bob Dylan:
How many roads must one chicken cross?
Mark Twain:
The news of its crossing has been greatly exaggerated.
And…
Ernest Hemingway:
In the rain. To die.
Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed is posting about “The Greatest American Novel” which he contends is Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.
I read the Old Man and the Sea at least once a year, too. Setting aside Hemingway’s tragic outlook on life where the center of the universe is inhabited by “nada,” we must admit to his brilliant innovation in writing. Growing up on this side of Hemingway’s death, most of us (baby-boomers) don’t feel the massive concussion of Hemingway’s literary genius.
How can you get in touch with Hemingway’s daring contribution? Simple. Read a page or two of any of Charles Dickens’ novels, for example, Great Expectations. Then read a page or two from Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Crisp.
Sparse.
Lean.
In the rain.
To die.
One of my favorite, crisp short stories by Hemingway is “A Clean, Well-lighted Place.”
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Yes, John. I love that book, too. Wish I had more time on my hands to read. You’re blessed to read it that often! It is a gift.
Ted,
It’s not that big of a book. When was the last time you read it?
John
[...] don’t like putting lists in order. I’m more of a bullet point kind of guy. However, the recent conversation about the greatest novel ever has peaked my interest. I can’t tell you what the greatest novel [...]
John, You’re so right. It isn’t. But I usually have at least one book going on in my reading, usually several, and not easy for me to get through them soon, because of my schedule and being tired. But I need to buy my own copy of this book. I also want to read the other books you mention by Hemmingway, here.
I quoted from your new book today as my quote of the week on my blog.
http://communityofjesus.blogspot.com/2008/06/quote-of-week_15.html
I enjoyed the great laugh.
Thanks.
I read OMatS when I was 11 years old, and it substantially changed my view of life and literature. Where most stories had ended–catching the big fish, OMatS was just getting going well.
[...] In the riddles section this week, we’ve got that age-old chicken question answered by a variety of famous people. Caesar: To come, to see, to conquer. Salvador Dali: The fish. Darwin: It was the logical next step after coming down from the trees. Emily Dickinson: Because it could not stop for death. Bob Dylan: How many roads must one chicken cross? Ralph Waldo Emerson: It didn’t cross the road; it transcended it. Robert Frost: To cross the road less traveled by. Gilligan: The traffic started getting rough; the chicken had to cross. If not for the plumage of its peerless tail, the chicken would be lost. The chicken would be lost! Johann Friedrich von Goethe: The eternal hen-principle made it do it. Ernest Hemingway: To die. In the rain. Newton: Chickens at rest tend to stay at rest. Chickens in motion tend to cross the road. Jack Nicholson: ‘Cause it (censored) wanted to. That’s the (censored) reason. More (via) [...]