The change that makes the movement that makes the Hemingway short story : a study in technique

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Phyllis B. Pruitt (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Robert Stephens

Abstract: This thesis commences from a statement concerning the conception of the short story made by Ernest Hemingway in a 1954 interview in which he stressed the importance of the elements of change and movement. The work contends that Hemingway, by a conscious effort, achieved change and movement and that, in so doing, he employed four literary devices: repetition, negative statement, objective epitome, shifting roles and positions. The progress or movement may be presented in a traditional plot, or it may be implied when the "plot" is minimal or non-existent. To examine this aspect of Hemingway's short story style, each device is considered individually with examples of its use in the short stories: Chapters One through Four examine the use of repetition, negative statement, objective epitome, and shifting roles and positions, respectively. The final chapter, Chapter Five, takes a collective view of these devices and briefly considers the influences on Hemingway which may account for his knowledge of them. The most effective use of repetition in Hemingway's short stories is the concentrated use of a word or phrase within a single paragraph. In this method the word itself reveals a change; the word takes on a more specific meaning as the paragraph advances. Another method is that of repeating a word or phrase until there is "change and movement" in that the word becomes an image, and the story is developed as the image conveys the meaning and emotion of the story.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1970
Subjects
Hemingway, Ernest, $d 1899-1961 $x Criticism and interpretation
Hemingway, Ernest, $d 1899-1961 $x Technique

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