“I wrote some pretty good poems lately in Rhyme. We love Gertrude Stein”, wrote Ernest Hemingway in a letter to Sherwood Anderson in 1922. Hemingway had only recently met Stein in Paris following a letter of recommendation Stein had received from Anderson. Gertrude Stein was an American expatriate who had been living in Paris for eighteen years. She was well-known among contemporary artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Henry James, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Her salon in 27, Rue de Fleurus was a private gallery of modern art and, consequently, a well-liked meeting-point for discussions on modernism. Stein herself had decided to experiment with the English language instead of writing common fiction. She practiced a kind of ‘cubist writing’ which was based on rhythm, rhyme and repetition rather than on a sensemaking plot. Nevertheless, she gave helpful advice to other writers when needed and was mentor for some of them. Hemingway, being one of those who often frequented her salon, began to admire Stein and her work; he soon realized that he could learn much from her. He was impressed by her “continuous present tense and her steady repetition of key phrases that created meanings larger than the words themselves” and considered it useful to acquire those techniques. Hemingway asked for and gladly accepted Stein’s advice for a few years but their relationship slowly crumbled because both of them felt insulted by the other. In the later years, Hemingway began to even deny the influence Stein had on him.
This paper will deal with Gertrude Stein’s influence on Hemingway, focusing on his style and the Spanish woman Pilar in For Whom the Bell Tolls(FWBT), published in 1940. While Stein’s general influence on Hemingway has been discussed and proven many times and her specific influence on this novel has only been seen in the figure of Pilar or in parts of Hemingway’s style, Stein’s overall influence on FWBT has not yet been primary subject of research.
However, Robert Jordan’s utterance “A rose is a rose is an onion” struck us as being very straight forward and thus led us to further investigation on the significance of Gertrude Stein in FWBT.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Hemingway’s First Encounter with Gertrude Stein
3. Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls
4. Gertrude Stein’s Influence on For Whom the Bell Tolls
4.1 Personal Influence
4.2 Stylistic Influence
4.3 Gertrude Stein’s Quote in For Whom the Bell Tolls
5. Conclusion
6. Works Cited
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the influence of Gertrude Stein on Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), exploring how Stein’s persona and literary techniques were integrated into Hemingway’s narrative despite their fractured personal relationship.
- The historical and literary relationship between Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein.
- The portrayal of the character Pilar as a reflection of Gertrude Stein’s personality and presence.
- The adoption of "Steinian" stylistic devices, such as repetition and "ecstatic prose."
- The analytical interpretation of the "rose is a rose" quote adaptation within the novel.
- The impact of Hemingway's journalistic background in contrast to Stein's experimental influence.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 Personal Influence
The gypsy Pilar is described as a forty-eight year-old woman who is “almost as wide as she [is] tall”, dressed in a “black peasant skirt and waist, with heavy wool socks on heavy legs, black rope-soled shoes” and who has “a brown face like a model for a granite monument”. This description matches Gertrude Stein’s appearance who was forty-eight when Hemingway met her; she was overweight, wore clothes that were comfortable and durable instead of fashionable, and she had a dark complexion. Furthermore, Pilar’s “thick curly black hair was twisted into a knot on her neck” just like Gertrude Stein used to wear her hair until Alice cut it short in 1926.
Although Pablo claims to be and is considered the leader of the band, it is Pilar who effectively leads them with courage and through action. For Jordan she is both a respected leader and a rival; he looks up to some of her abilities and is sometimes envious of her power over the group and Maria. For Jordan she functions as teacher and mentor due to her experience in the war and with the group just like Gertrude Stein did for Hemingway in the field of writing. In one passage in FWBT Hemingway even points out Jordan’s admiration for Pilar’s story-telling abilities when she tells him about the massacre at a fascist town. Jordan thinks to himself: “God, how she can tell a story…I wish I could write well enough to write that story”.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the initial encounter between Hemingway and Stein, establishes the mentor-protégé relationship, and states the paper's goal to investigate Stein's presence in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
2. Hemingway’s First Encounter with Gertrude Stein: Details the historical context of their first meeting in Paris in 1922 and how Stein’s mentorship influenced Hemingway's early development of a declarative prose style.
3. Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls: Provides background on the publication success of the novel and describes the central conflict and setting of the Spanish Civil War.
4. Gertrude Stein’s Influence on For Whom the Bell Tolls: Analyzes the multifaceted presence of Stein in the novel through characterization, literary style, and the parodic use of her most famous quotations.
4.1 Personal Influence: Compares the character of Pilar to Gertrude Stein, noting physical similarities and shared traits regarding leadership and mentorship.
4.2 Stylistic Influence: Explores the integration of "Steinian" techniques, including the use of repetition, rhythm, and omission to convey heightened emotion and "ecstatic prose."
4.3 Gertrude Stein’s Quote in For Whom the Bell Tolls: Examines Hemingway’s clever adaptation and parody of the "rose is a rose" quote within the dialogue of the novel.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes that Stein’s influence on Hemingway remained significant throughout his career and is clearly embedded within the thematic and stylistic fabric of the novel.
6. Works Cited: Lists the academic sources and texts used for this analysis.
Keywords
Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Pilar, Modernism, Stylistic Influence, Cubist Writing, Literary Mentorship, Repetition, Ecstatic Prose, Spanish Civil War, Robert Jordan, Parody, Narrative Technique, Literary Influence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on identifying and analyzing the influence of Gertrude Stein on Ernest Hemingway, specifically within the context of his 1940 novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The research covers the personal and stylistic relationship between the two authors, the characterization of the gypsy Pilar, and the application of experimental literary techniques in a traditional war narrative.
What is the central research goal?
The goal is to prove that despite their falling out, Stein remained a significant "ghostly" presence in Hemingway's later work through specific stylistic adaptations and character parallels.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper uses a qualitative literary analysis, comparing biographical records of Stein and Hemingway with textual evidence and stylistic passages found within the novel.
What is discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body examines physical and psychological parallels between Stein and the character Pilar, the use of repetitive "ecstatic prose," and the ironic usage of Stein's famous quotes in the book's dialogue.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
The study is best defined by keywords such as Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, stylistic influence, literary mentorship, and For Whom the Bell Tolls.
How does the author characterize the "Steinian" stylistic influence in the novel?
The author identifies the use of "ecstatic prose"—characterized by repetition, rhythm, and the use of the word "and" instead of punctuation—as a key tool Hemingway borrowed to convey intense emotion.
How is the famous "rose is a rose" quote interpreted in the text?
The paper suggests that Hemingway parodies the quote by subverting it with an "onion," using the ambiguity of the comparison to represent the complex and shifting nature of his relationship with Stein.
- Quote paper
- Kirsten Nath (Author), Kathrin Matthes (Author), 2005, Hemingway and Stein. Gertrude Stein's Influence on Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/57146
