Back to Hemingway...

(A rare day with two posts...)

Every time I teach ENGL 360 and go back to The Sun Also Rises, I am charmed, captivated, frustrated, and energized anew by what Hemingway is up to. This early exchange between Brett and Jake kills me:

"It's funny, I said. "It's very funny. And it's a lot of fun, to, to be in love."

"Do you think so?" her eyes looked flat again.

"I don't mean fun that way. In a way it's an enjoyable feeling."

"No," she said. "I think it's hell on earth."

"It's good to see each other."

"No. I don't think it is."

"Don't you want to?"

"I have to."

They are both right, aren't they? And that's why it's fun and hell on earth.