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Nicole Musselman, Benjamin Brothers, and Lidiana Rios Barreto, three doctoral students in the Department of English, presented their research at the 2024 Hemingway Society Conference in San Sebastian and Bilbao, Spain in July.  

Musselman, who also serves as the editorial assistant for the 鈥淢ailer Review鈥� published by the English department, organized the panel 鈥楥arving Out Sanctuaries in Hemingway's Wartime Literature鈥� at the conference.  

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation鈥攚hich hosts the conference鈥攚as established in 1965 by Mary Hemingway, Ernest鈥檚 widow, 鈥渇or the purposes of awakening, sustaining an interest in, promoting, fostering, stimulating, supporting, improving, and developing literature and all forms of literary composition and expression.鈥�  

The foundation鈥檚 activities have emphasized 鈥渢he promotion, assistance and coordination of scholarship and studies relating to the works and life of the late Ernest Hemingway.鈥� 

鈥淚 am still amazed that not only did our panel get approved for the conference, but that the Hemingway Society awarded all three of us the Jim & Nancy Hinkle Travel Grant, which aims to help offset the costs of traveling to the conference in Spain,鈥� Musselman said.

The focus of their panel explored Hemingway鈥檚 common attempts at creating 鈥渟anctuaries鈥� of existence that represent desires to live away from war.  

鈥淧rivileging the human experience, rather than journalistic or political, emphasizes the human incapability to inhabit states of war. Such a perspective invites considerations regarding representations of otherness, isolation, and other forms of dehumanization often associated with war, along with how Hemingway chooses to present these 鈥榮anctuaries鈥� - perhaps as idealized instances of lives free of conflict and more overtly possessed of emotions, like love, that come to imbue the human experience with purpose,鈥� Musselman added.  

Musselman also presented her research connecting Hemingway with motherhood studies in his work, 鈥淔arewell to Arms.鈥� 

鈥淚 first establish Catherine Barkley as an active participant in war through her work as a British nurse on the Italian front and compare her characterization to that of the American propaganda art campaign of the Red Cross鈥檚 image of 鈥楾he Greatest Mother in the World.鈥� Catherine and Frederic鈥檚 psychological game, in which they pretend to be in love to escape the violence and uncertainty during World War I, eventually comes crashing down with Catherine鈥檚 pregnancy and impending motherhood. The baby creates an inevitable end for Catherine and Henry鈥檚 created sanctuary as the narrative of motherhood during the war was complicated by anti and pro-war women鈥檚 movements in the United States,鈥� she explained.  

This was Musselman鈥檚 second time attending this conference and first time moderating a panel discussion.  

鈥淲hat I find interesting about this conference is that not only are participants scholars from universities around the world, but there are also high school educators, independent scholars, and non-academics attending and presenting new approaches and research on Hemingway鈥檚 life and work,鈥� she adds. 鈥淭his wide range of perspectives is immensely valuable to my approach to research and writing about Hemingway. In addition, this was my first international conference and my first time traveling to Europe. Walking along the beaches and old town of San Sebastian, which Hemingway wrote about and often admired in his writings, allowed me to form connections between his characters and about how I felt experiencing the beauty of the Basque country for the first time.鈥�  

Rios Barreto鈥檚 research focused on Hemingway鈥檚 portrayal of bullfighting as a trope of war in 鈥淭he Sun Also Rises.鈥� 

鈥淚 explored how Hemingway relates the culture of bullfighting to war by analyzing literary devices such as imagery, symbolism, and language, with particular emphasis on the motifs of violence and death,鈥� she explained.  

She added that meeting people from around the world with similar interests as hers and building her networking opportunities added to her overall experience.  

鈥淢eeting people from around the world who share a passion for Hemingway鈥檚 literature was truly an amazing opportunity,鈥� Rios Barreto said. 鈥淭he beauty of the Basque Country further enriched this already invaluable experience.鈥� 

For Brothers, the conference was a unique first-time experience. He shared how scenes in 鈥淔or Whom the Bell Tolls鈥� framed from Anselmo鈥檚 perspective 鈥渇eature traces of Freudian concepts like the Heimlich and the unheimlich, as well as a doppelg盲nger encounter鈥� and, when taken together, offer insight into Heminway鈥檚 awareness of the psychologically destructive potential of war. 

鈥淲hile I鈥檝e presented works at regional and national conferences, this was my first time participating in an international conference,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was nice to gain this experience and interact with some established figures in the world of Hemingway scholarship and celebrate a successful panel at a prestigious conference with my 鲍鱼tv colleagues.鈥� 

Learn more about doctoral programs available in the Department of English.