Faulkner vs Hemingway: Complexity

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Originally Posted by Arrowni

Don't get me started with Hemingway's "travels", that's like loving to travel by getting as far from the places as you can possibly be and look at your belly the entire time.

You're reading too much Hemingway :brow:

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Actually I haven't read a great deal of Hemingway and, as for travel, I have travelled fairly widely and appreciate Hemingway's description of those countries I have visited that are also featured in his novels. Were I to visit the US, Lafayette County would not be on my list of places to see.

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Originally Posted by Emil Miller

Actually I haven't read a great deal of Hemingway and, as for travel, I have travelled fairly widely and appreciate Hemingway's description of those countries I have visited that are also featured in his novels. Were I to visit the US, Lafayette County would not be on my list of places to see.

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Somehow I think a travel and leisure guide was not exactly what Faulkner has in mind with the conception of Yoknapatawpha. Rather, he is moving a flashlight from here to there across time and space, revealing now this, now that -- but regardless of how much is shown at any one time, we sense the pieces are all integrally tied together, and that they in turn are tied to the far larger and more intricately complex story of mankind and nature. Yoknapatawpha is no "microcosm". We don't see the world portrayed here in miniature. Rather the world is all one huge, fascinating fabric of story, and this is a piece of it.

Cripes. What an explosive subject this is turning out to be.

I will say this though - when I began reading Hemingway I was bedazzled! As I kept reading him I was merely awed. And then finally I read across the river and into the trees and kind of just felt physically sick. And I never read any more of his works. I think the pessimism gets to you after a while...

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Originally Posted by brucebond007

I will say this though - when I began reading Hemingway I was bedazzled!

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Just to reiterate, my preference of Faulkner is in no way intended as a slight at Hemingway. Hemingway is, in fact, one of my favorite writers, Faulkner just happens to be my favorite of all. I do wish that Hemingway had been more experimental, and sometimes his work has diminishing returns on reread. However, there is no question that he has produced some tremendous work, much of which I quite enjoy.

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Originally Posted by kinesj

I see it more along the lines of reading Faulkner is like reminiscing scenes from a memory whereas Hemingway is reading the headlines of a newspaper.

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Haha, I enjoyed this.

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Originally Posted by Raven Falcon.

Which author do you think , in terms of experimentation and presentation of complex themes, is superior?

It should be noted that this thread concerns itself only about the complexities of the authors' works.

I think Faulkner is more masterful, not overall because that would be very subjective and I think Hemingway is better in some other areas, when it comes to the complexities of this characters, voices, and imageries.

How do you take this?

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A unique technique in story telling can sometimes be mistaken for superior writing. A new approach to literature - as impressive as it might be - is essentially a successful gimmick. Doing it differently gets you attention and puts you on the map. However, the most difficult feat in literature for a writer is to do everything everyone else is doing, but better.

Faulkner is a first rate artist, as is Hemingway. Who is more complex? Well it depends on what you think is more important: a new way of telling a story (Faulkner) or excellently crafted prose in a more conventional narrative format (Hemingway).

In the end, it boils down to personal preference, one's definition of complexity, and the effectiveness of the author's approach in delivering the message they intended to convey.

Literature is essentially a succesful gimmick.