Introduction & Overview of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms Introduction

Ernest Hemingway's 1929 novel, A Farewell to Arms, is often regarded as his best artistic achievement. It was certainly his greatest commercial success to date with 80,000 copies sold within the first four months. The money earned for the novel, though, came too late to prevent his father from committing suicide due to financial stress and a losing struggle with diabetes. The novel established Ernest Hemingway as the literary master of a style that was characterized by brisk assertive staccato, or crisp precise prose. The novel also gave rise to the infamous myth of Hemingway as the epitome of American machismo. This owed as much to the popularity of his novel and his friendship with Gary Cooper-who played Frederic Henry in the film version of the novel-as it did to Hemingway's own heroism.

The book is the story of a young American named Frederic Henry who volunteers for service...
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