New Criticism in A Farewell to Arms

Cleanth Brooks' Sylvan Historian in Hemingway's Novel

Jul 1, 2009

The New Critical perspective described by Cleanth Brooks Credo can also be applied to Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms.

In “My Credo: Formalist Criticism,” Brooks states that literary criticism is “a description and an evaluation of its object…[and that literature is] ultimately metaphorical and symbolic” (798). According to him, any historicism that is portrayed from a New Critical perspective is vague and overshadowed by the innate humanness that forms the core of the work.

Brooks is a new critic, and therefore believes that the greater meaning of literature is to be found within the actual piece, and not from analyzing the history around it. Brooks sees this narrator as a rustic, pastoral “sylvan historian” who is giving an idealized view of the past without giving specific dates or events.

Generality in A Farewell to Arms

Although Hemingway’s narrator actually gives place names in A Farewell to Arms and seems to be more in touch with historical facts than Brooks’ New Critical narrator, he still lacks the interest in refining the historical accounts throughout the novel. Frederic’s interests, instead, shift to himself, his life, and his desires. The events that do happen and are a sort of reflection of history, such as the bombing in which Frederic’s legs are injured, maintain a generality that could be a reflection of an event from any war that took place in the modern era.

Even the first chapter, which puts the audience in a scene of a placid day shattered by gunfire, does not give specifics on time or place. It is more of a general overview of history than events specific to any one time or place in history. Both pieces are seeking “the whole of mortal knowledge” (Brooks 489) rather than just listing historical facts. Hemingway is reflecting more on the generality of humanity than the specificity of historical facts.

The Timelessness and Metaphors of the New Critical Perspective

Hemingway’s story, although set in World War One, has a timelessness to it. The metaphors that are engrained in the story are deeply integrated with the overall theme. On the surface, the rain that continually falls throughout the novel could be seen as simply a weather phenomenon that is common in Europe, the novel’s setting.

But from a New Critical perspective, these storms take on a new life. They represent the death and darkness that permeates the piece. During every major event in the piece, there is rain. Catherine dies during a rainstorm, and even the conclusion of Frederic walking away in the rain is steeped in naturalistic metaphor.

According to Dekker and Harris, like the poem “The Unquiet Grave,” Hemingway’s novel “associates death with an ‘objective correlative’ of rain” (314).These metaphors are solid, and therefore the piece is solid within itself. Through the use of metaphor and the objective correlative, New Criticism is deeply integrated in Hemingway’s novel.

Frederic’s Struggles

Hemingway’s novel is focused on Frederic’s inner struggles and life’s path rather than listing off historical events. Frederic and Catherine travel all over Italy and even go to Switzerland, but all of the names and places are vague could easily be attributed to common knowledge. The “essential truth” of Hemingway’s piece is in his reflection of a man’s journey through life. This reflection is the major tenant of the novel, with any sort of historicism remaining ambiguous and taking a secondary place.

Brooks says that a poem should be taken in “organic context…[and should be] taken as a whole” (499). This is also present in Hemingway’s piece. It can be read and understood easily, even by someone unversed in history or geography,

The essential meaning does not need outside analysis, and as Brooks said, can be taken as a piece on its own. It retains its solidarity within itself, and can be seen as a reflection of truth more than history. It speaks to something more human than factual, giving the reader insight into themselves and their preconceived ideas of history more than actually historical information.

Dekker, George and Joseph Harris. "Supernaturalism and the Vernacular Style in A Farewell to Arms."

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