Background: This web results from several years of
classroom-tested assignments on issues that students and other readers of
Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms commonly need to understand
to make sense of the novel and to see the assets and flaws in the movies
made in its name.
For a first reading, see the Study
Guide, which
arranges comprehension questions and research questions in the
order in which they would occur if a class were discussing the novel from
Book 1 through Book 5.
The lists of research questions suggest military, historical, medical,
geographical, literary, biographical, and cinematic topics that students
of the novel should read about for a deeper understanding of the novel's
plot, characters, theme, and the author's strategies for getting us to
realize the experiences and ideas behind the novel.
The assignment guidelines suggest parameters
for reporting the research, based on various configurations tried in a community
college course. Nevertheless, students should follow their instructors'
requirements for format.
Procedure: Students commonly read through the study questions
and the menu of research questions,
looking for something that matches their major or interests or prior
experience.
Consider using a modular approach to
teaching or studying the novel.
Copyright
and Permission:
This web on Ernest Hemingway's early novel was begun under a small grant from the
VCCS, which holds copyright. © 2001 by the