REGISTER BELOW
Meets Weekly on Mondays: Jan. 19, 26, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23
5:30 – 7:00 p.m. | Dinner Provided
This event is designated for University of Chicago graduate students. Other students interested in attending should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. Students will receive a copy of the texts.
In this reading group we will read a selection of Ernest Hemingway’s short stories that will illuminate his ingenious writing style through his lesser-known works. We will be reading from the Finca Vigia Complete Short Stories collection, which features many previously unfinished works. Discussions will revolve around themes of masculinity, femininity, life, and love, all of which are saturated in his works writ large. Some of the texts that will be discussed include the Nick Adams stories, Men Without Women, and the First Forty-Nine. This will be an exciting way to get to know Hemingway’s writings or dive deeper into his work, while engaging with peers and discussing ideas that are just as relevant today as they were when he wrote them.
Schedule:
- Jan. 19: Introduction to Hemingway and his short stories. This week will focus on getting a feel for Hemingway’s writing style and short stories. We will read selections of the “first forty-nine.” Discussion will revolve around how to he expresses deeper meaning with his simple prose, as well as the themes that Hemingway typically engages with.
- The Old Man at the Bridge (2 Pages)
- A Very Short Story (4 Pages)
- Cat in the Rain (6 Pages)
- The Snows of Kilimanjaro (18 Pages)
- Jan. 26: Deeper Dive into Hemingway’s Writing. Readings will include stories where the immediate meaning of the story is not explicitly stated and requires some deeper analysis. Readings will include Hills Like White Elephants and The Sea Change. These are both readings where there is a meaning that must be arrived to through subtle hints in the stories themselves (though there are varying degrees of subtlety). Discussion will center on getting at what these stories are conveying.
- Hills Like White Elephants (4 Pages)
- The Sea Change (4 Pages)
- Wine of Wyoming (13 Pages)
- A Clean, Well-Lighted Place (4 Pages)
- Feb. 2: Nick Adams Stories Pt. I. This week will focus on the first part of the Nick Adams stories, some of Hemingway’s most famous, and enjoyable, short stories. I’ve divided the collection into two weeks for the sake of doing justice to the collection while remaining under 30 pages. These stories express much about a man’s experience of life and is semi-autobiographical. This week will focus on Nick’s youth in Michigan, his adolescence, and his time at war. Discussion will focus on what Hemingway is conveying through his stories of youth and masculinity, particularly regarding how Nick conceives himself and how he views his father.
- Indian Camp (6 Pages)
- The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife (6 Pages)
- The Battler (10 Pages)
- The Killers (8 Pages)
- Feb. 9: Nick Adams Stories Pt. II. As we continue to read the stories, we will turn to Nick’s adulthood and marriage. This will bring together ideas of masculinity, maturity, life, and fatherhood.
- Big Two-Hearted River Pt I (10 Pages)
- Now I Lay Me (7 Pages)
- Fathers and Sons (10 Pages)
- Feb. 16: Men Without Women Pt. I. Readings from this week will seek to synthesize what we’ve discussed so far. Bringing together the themes Hemingway often discusses with his writing style. Men Without Women is a collection of short stories that discuss how men act without women. Discussion will revolve, again, on ideas of masculinity and the “natural” state of man.
- In Another Country (5 Pages)
- The Undefeated (25 Pages)
- Feb. 23: Men Without Women Pt. II. This week will conclude this collection, and we will finish up our discussion of the themes present in them. I would also like to add The Last Good Country, however, it is 41 pages long. I think I may add it as optional reading and discuss it if time allows. This is a personal favorite of his short stories, but not a necessary addition. There is not enough substance in the text to devote an entire week to the text, though it is a fun read.
- A Banal Story (2 Pages)
- Today is Friday (3 Pages)
- An Alpine Idyll (5 Pages)
- A Pursuit Race (4 Pages)
- Ten Indians (5 Pages)
- My Old Man (12 Pages)
Series Description:
Graduate Reading Group
Each quarter, the Lumen Christi Institute hosts a number of student-led reading groups at Gavin House (1220 E 58th St.). The reading groups are usually held over a shared meal and all participants are provided a copy of the text. Any graduate interested in a shared reading of a great text is welcome to join. No religious affiliation (or prior knowledge of Tolkien!) is necessary.