As I was reading Peter Taylor’s story The Old Forest, I read an interesting post by Mary Ellen about her frustration with Hemingway’s characterization of women (and other points she takes issue with as far as Hemingway’s writing).
How and for what purpose is a so-named "classic" included in academic required reading? No doubt that Hemingway was a giant, but what is his staying power and how long before contemporary works are added to the agenda? Need Hemingway be ‘replaced’ for his seemingly macho heroes and a lifestyle that is thankfully (in many ways) gone? Or is it a record as telling as history lessons; literature teaches us much about what people were reading–or were not being allowed to read, as well as often a spoof of the times (think Candide) that exaggerated the social problems of the day.
Interesting thoughts for the literature teachers of tomorrow to consider.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology