The Hemingway Short Story: A Critical Appreciation

Ernest Hemingway revolutionized the American short story, establishing himself as a master of realist fiction in the tradition of Guy de Mauppasant. Yet none of Hemingway's emulators has succeeded in duplicating his understated, minimalist style. In his Iceberg Theory of fiction, only the tip of the story is seen on the surface--the rest is submerged out of sight. This study surveys the scope of Hemingway's mastery of the short story form, enabling a fuller understanding of such works as "Indian Camp," "Big Two-Hearted River," "The Killers," "The Mother of a Queen," "In Another Country," "Hills Like White Elephants," "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," and "The Mercenaries," among many others. All 13 stories from his underrated Winner Take Nothing collection are evaluated in detail.