The Analysis on the "Iceberg" Writing Style

ISSN 1009 -5039zwwx@overseaen.comOverseas English海外莫谒.http://www.overseaen.comTel:+86- -551- 56908115690812The Analysis on the "Iceberg" Writing Style邹妍(沈阳师范大学渤海学院,辽宁兴城125105)Abstract: "Iceberg" witing style was created by，famous American writer Emest Hemingway, who pioncered a new style of writinghat s almst commonplace today. "ceberg" sye,e a25 its name, was srong and marvelous in the hiding the 7/8 part while just apeared 1/8.The concealed parts of an icebere were the implication in Hemingway s sories. It combined the sesibliti and tinkabiliyof literature to-gether in a subdle way and let readers explore the implied meaning from the striking; images in the works.Key words: writing style; Iceberg; the sensibilityt中图分类号:1106文献标识码:A 文章 编号:1009- 50)2012-022 -o21 Introductionsurrounding Certrude Stein. During the Spanish Civil War, Heming-The "Iceberg" style of Hemningway was not only a erant of sim-way served as a correspondent on the loyalist side. He fought inplification and abstraction, but also, and more important, a courageWorld War II and then stled in Cuba in 1945. In 1954, Heming-to omit the expression of personal passion and the revelation ofway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. After his expulsiontheme. It was a new form of literature, and that literature reached ev-from Cuba by the Castro regime, he moved to Idaho. He was increas-ery part of the populace: Hemingway used several technique of wit-ingly plagued by ill health and mental problems, and in July, 1961,ing to establish his "Iceberg" stye. Such as simplicity, objecivity,he committed suicide by shooting himself.symbolization, understatement, make his words vivid and thethemes profound. His experience of being a jourmalist and infu-ous lives, soldiers, fishermen, athletes, bullighters, who meet theeneed by some famous persons gave him the opportunity and en-pain and dificulty of their existence with stoic courage. His cele-abled him to develop his special writing style. He seldom used ad-brated literary style, influenced by Ezra Pound and Gertude Stein,jectives and abstract nouns, anqy avoided complicated syntax.is direct, terse, and often monotonous, yet particularly suited to hisHemingway's strength lies in his short sentences and very specifecelemental subject matter. As a writer, he was not the kind that wedetails. His short sentences were powerfully loaded with the ten-thought man of ltters. His artistie style and the lofty technique ofsion, which he saw in life. Where he didn't use a simple and shortwriting created a brief and smooth style which afcted Europeansentence, he connected the various parts of the sentence in aand American field of literature greatly. 0Omission was a way of writ-straightforward and sequential way, often linked by "and". He also ing; Hemingway ofen used it to express some point of view positive-caplured the immediacy of dialogue kilfully and made the econom- ly. His mind was profound, his viewpoint was unique. Just as poetical speech connective. lIt's good to note that Hemingway's style isAllen had said, he posessed subtle eyes and strong selective obser-deliberate and artificial, and is never as natural as it seems to be. vation."Iceberg”writing style was the representative and the mostThe simple sentences and the repeated rhythms hit at the profundi- popular style of Hemingway's peculiar literary mind. His distictiveties that the suface of the language tried to ignore. Is simplicitywriting style is characterized by economyinderstatement andwas highly 8uggestive and connolative, and often reflects the strong had a significant influence on the development of twentieth centuryundercurrent of emotion. Indeed, the more closely the readerfiction writing. Hemingway's protagonists are typically stoics, menwatched, the less rough and simple the characters appeared.who must show "grace under pressure." Many of his works are con-2 Author's Experiencesidered classics in the canon of American literature.From his experienee in the Spanish Civil War came HemingEmest Miller Hemingway (1899- 1961) was an Americanway's great novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), which, in detail-novelist, short. -story writer, and joumalist. Ermest Hemingway wasing an incident in the war, argues for human brotherhood.born in Oak Park, Chicago. Hemingway worked as a reporter for theHemingway reeived the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for The OldKansas City Star after graduating from high school in 1917. DuringMan and the Sea. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature inWorld War I he served as an ambulance driver in France and in the1954. 3 Hemingway and His "Ieeberg" Wniting StyleIlalian infanty and was wounded just before his 19th bithday. Lat-"Iceberg" wring style was the unique form of literary cre-er, while working in Paris as a correspondent for the Toronto Star,ation. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954 for his "mas-he became involved with the expatriate literary and artistic circletery of the art of modem naration" ,Hemingway used a spare and中国煤化工YHCNMHG收稿日期:2011-10-12修回日 期:2011-10-28作者简介:邹妍(1988-),女,辽宁营口人,沈阳师范大学渤海学院,商务英语专业。栳目责任编辑:杨菲薯.Overseas English海外并语2011年12月tight joumalistie type of prose. He used the objective; detacheders to feel, to understand. As he had written them out direcly. It ispoint of view and his vocabulary and sentence structure are decep-obvious that the writer must aware what he wanted to express andtively simple. In 1932, Hemingway in his work "Death in the After-it's more important for the readers' understanding.noon" pointed out that "If a writer of prose knows enough aboutMost eritics hold the opinion that the "Iceberg" style was mold-what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and theing vivid figure with short words while hiding one's feelings andreader, if the writer is writing tuly enough, will have a feeling of thoughts. Feelings were profuse but hidden, thoughts were conceal-those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. Theing but implied.1/8 was upon the sea level and the other 7/8 was un-dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one- -eighth of it be-der the sea. Thus the content was flled with emotion and thoughtsing above water." The parable atacked literate' atention and "Ice-kilully. For the readers, it was meaningful to explore the deepberg" style then became one isue of doing research on Hemingmeanings of the work. "Iceberg" style was practical without floridway's creation and his psychology. In another word, "Iceberg" style decoration, it was strong, nalural and free- -just as Hemingway'swas a vivid conclusion of Hemingway 's literature creation. A formu-thoughts, spirit and live. Transcendence sentences, simple struc-la, which he obeyed to converted between artificial creation and re-ture, routine words were always appeared in Hemingway's works.al life. Westerm critics had investigated much about "Iceberg" style.He hated luscious words, got accustomed to concrete and sensuousSome one pointed out that one could arose the readers' felings iflanguage. It is this that made the distance among the writer, thehe picked out the eidetic hints of life and open his ears to violence,reader and the object the shortest, also got the clear and realistic ar-describe those hints properly. That was the mode that Hemingwaytificial effect.traced in his early writing. This was a success becausethe scene heReferences:described was in possession of widespread implication. British com-1] MellowJames R.Hemingway.A Life Without Consequences[M],menter Betz once said that to grasp the skill of implication and rep-New York:Houghton Mifin,1992.resent two or more than two things in one sentence was the halfwork of a storyteller. As we know, "Iceberg" style was the metaphor[2] Oliver,Charles M.Emnest Hemingway A to Z:The Essential Reler-ence to the Life and Work(M].New York:Checkmark,1999.of Hemingway's writing. He compared his writing to iceberg floatedon the sea, the simple words were 1/8of the contents while the other[3] Zhu Cang,Ed.Twentieth Century Westem Critical Theories[M].7/8 were under the sea which were omitted. He just wanted the read-Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press,2001.中国煤化工MYHCNMHG26綬化y7/1111118's$栳责任编辑:长菲莘