The portrayal of Paris in Ernest Hemingway's writings (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Bonn (Institut für Anglistik, Amerikanistik und Keltologie), course: Literatures and Cultures in Comparison, language: English, abstract: Ernest Hemingway's career as a writer grew during his years in Paris. The first chapters of this paper try to recapitulate the development of expatriation to Paris. What were the reasons for people, especially artists, to move to the European city and how did Hemingway himself find his way to Paris?

Furthermore, this paper wants to show how Hemingway represents the city in his writings. Three different genres will be discussed throughout the analysis to create a balanced overview of the representation of Paris. Hemingway's debut novel "The Sun Also Rises" shows Paris in Hemingway's fiction. The author's memoir "A Moveable Feast" offers a more psychological approach to Paris, whereas a selection of his articles for the Toronto "Star" work as a realistic documentation of life in Paris. What are the differences of the portrayal of Paris in these genres? Is his passion towards the city visible in every work? This paper will also try to answer the question whether Hemingway represents the whole city of Paris or if the author emphasizes on the parts of Paris dominated by the American expatriates, which were mostly on the Left Bank of the Seine.