Unraveling the Myth of Ernest Hemingway | It’s Lit!

Here’s the problem with tackling Ernest Hemingway—Ernest Hemingway himself. While the iconic author is mostly known for his feats of literary prowess, from The Sun Also Rises to For Whom the Bell Tolls, to countless short stories—perhaps his greatest fiction of all is his own self-mythologizing. As his brand grew in the 1920s and 30s, so too grew his celebrity and, well, his ego. So, with Ernie all the while throwing so much self-mythologizing in the mix that it became nearly impossible to separate the Man from the Myth. But gosh darn it, we’re going to try.

Support materials include discussion questions, teaching tips, and a classroom activity exploring Hemmingway’s Iceberg Theory. The resource also includes creative response activities where students develop their own “super-lies” to create their own short story and compare self-mythological figures in pop culture.

Note to Educators: The clips in this resource depict sensitive topics and themes, including alcohol abuse and suicide. Consider collaborating with your students to create classroom guidelines for discussing these topics. These tips from the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association may be included in letters to parents sharing the sensitive conversation topics included.

 Additional Resources for Trauma-Informed Teaching:

• Exploring Trauma-Informed Practice in the Language Arts Classroom
• ‘Those Kids:’ Understanding Trauma-Informed Education (Opinion)
• Suicide Prevention Hotline