A Moveable Feast emphasizes Hemingway’s Paris, shedding light on a community that few were able to truly be apart of.
This community is the one of the writers at this time. They worked off of each other, consulting and encouraging one another to pursue his art. Hemingway speaks of Pound and how he, “Helped poets, painters, sculptors and prose writers that he believed in and he would help anyone whether he believed in them or not if they were in trouble.”
This community helped each other out when in need. Hemingway highlights this primarily through Ezra Pound, putting emphasis on the Bel Esprit and later again speaking to how the “Lovers of poetry that Ezra had organized rallied to Dunning’s aid again eventually.” Even through Bel Esprit we see this sense of community and support: “The idea of Bel Esprit was that we would all contribute a part of whatever we earned to provide a fund to get Mr. Eliot out of the bank so he would have money to write poetry.”
Of course this community only worked as the writer’s respected each other. Hemingway speaks of Pound as, “Lik(ing) the works of his friends, which is beautiful as loyalty but can be disastrous as judgement.” Hemingway continues on Pound, “His own writing when he would hit it right, was so perfect, and he was so sincere in his mistakes and so enamored of his errors, and so kind to people that I always though of him as sort of a saint.” Clearly some admiration between writers occurred and this led to a nurturing environment, Hemingway recalling that while boxing he was, “Embarrassed at having him (Ezra) work in front of anyone he knew, and I tried to make him look as good as possible.”
It seems as though Hemingway feels most intimidated throughout A Moveable Feast; as though he is gaining the most from this community. Hemingway admits, “We (Hemingway and Ezra) never argued about these things because I kept my mouth shut about things I did not like.” Further on, Hemingway recalls, “Asking Ezra once when we had walked home from playing tennis out on the Boulevard Arago, and he had asked me into his studio for a drink, what he really thought about Dostoevsky.” Ezra responded, “To tell you the truth, Hem, I’ve never read the Rooshians.” Hemingway is disappointed at this: “Here was the man I liked and trusted the most as a critic then.” Hemingway went to Ezra for perspective; an outlet; a resource. After this conversation Ezra advises Hemingway to keep reading the French. And so Hemingway does.
Stein advices Hemingway in this same manner, expanding his horizons, introducing him to new people, art, and perspectives on writing. But through Stein we again see Hemingway as the beneficiary of this knowledge, but not necessarily giving it back. This is shown when Stein says that Hemingway is part of a ‘lost generation.’ Stein here is portrayed as older; an older woman looking on the younger generation poorly, as though they have something to figure out; something to learn.
Regardless of whom were able to influence whom the most, we do see that this community of writers had credibility; knew what they were talking about. We see this through Pound’s own writing stating, “M. Jules Romains is perhaps the most commanding figure among les jeunes.” Then further, “Most of the younger men would seem to be descended from these authors.” Here we get a sense that Pound had clear and concise opinions to share, but we also see the modest man that Hemingway portrays through comparing the man to a ‘saint.’ Pound uses words such as ‘perhaps’ and ‘seem.' He's open to another possibility, but also clearly stating his own view. This modesty and open-mindedness is not something that we're shown through Stein’s character. Stein is portrayed as far more stubborn and authoritative in her ways literally at one point in A Moveable Feast, “Instructing me (Hemingway) about sex.”
The one constant throughout this community is interest. All these authors are extremely interested in writing, literature and art. Whether their interest is genuine or stems, rather, from some hidden agenda is another story. But regardless, we see this inherent interest, even outside of A Moveable Feast. For example Pound in a writing for POETRY: A Magazine of Verse lists books he himself finds interesting for those who ‘may care.’ Pound continues stating, “It is undeniable that the graces of rhetoric have flourished abundantly in other eras, and that ornamentation has undergone various changes, sometimes with very felicitous consequence.” Clearly Pound has a clear and thorough understanding of literature throughout time and in the present, giving him credibility and enhancing the value to this community of writers.
Clearly this community aspect was valued by these writers. If one threatened the integrity or general comfort of it, he was 'outcasted.' This is shown through Stein, Hemingway shedding light on the fact that, “Finally she even quarreled with the new friends but none of us followed it anymore.” It seems as though to truly be apart of this community that Hemingway demonstrates, each writer had to be respected by the others.
Hemingway, for example, had a profound level of respect for Ezra Pound. Hemingway states, “I missed Ezra and wished he were there. He could not afford marennes either.” In this sentence, Hemingway is admiring Ezra for being poor. Hemingway himself demonstrates a certain comfort in being poor; a certain romanticization of it for fear of being apart of/selling out for ‘the rich.’ We’re presented with this conflict between selling out for ‘the rich’ and staying true to oneself and his writing through John Dos Passos (or presumably John Dos Passos). Comparing Passos to a ‘pilot fish,’ Hemingway states, “The rich have a sort of pilot fish who goes ahead of them, sometimes a little deaf, sometimes a little blind, but always smelling affable and hesitant ahead of them.” Hemingway doesn’t want to be like this ‘pilot fish’; is maybe even afraid of becoming like this. So for him, Pound's lack of money is admirable. He sees Pound as staying ‘true to himself.’ Hemingway, at the end of A Moveable Feast even states, “But this is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy.” Clearly part of Hemingway’s admiration for Pound came from the fact that he was poor, unlike Stein or Passos.
And coincidentally, Pound notes the same sense of indulgence in Paris as Hemingway experiences. This community, in many ways, formed a Paris of their own. Pound states, “These Parisians, more serious in experiment and more thorough than other people.” Pound’s Paris is filled with experimentation and thoroughness; indulgence.
Throughout A Moveable Feast, we see Hemingway indulge and experiment; letting himself go even stating, “The whole thing turned out badly for me morally, as so many things have, because the money that I had earmarked for getting the Major out of the bank I took out to Enghien and bet on jumping horses that raced under the influence of stimulants.”
As the book progresses, Hemingway does seem to give back more to this community, gaining confidence and perspective, telling Fitzgerald, “It is not basically a question of the size in repose. It is the size that it becomes.” Here we see Hemingway directly stating opinions of art, later counseling Fitzgerald very directly stating, “Just have the confidence and do what the girl wants. Zelda just wants to destroy you.” This community of writers in Paris most definitely provided Hemingway with the comfort and support he needed grow into a more confidant and articulate man; a man who would go on to write The Old Man and the Sea and The Garden of Eden.
Ultimately through A Moveable Feast, we gain insight into a community within Paris that few were truly apart of. This community of writers was able to support, inspire, and broaden itself. This community worked off of itself to create new styles and perspectives on writing and the world (Paris) surrounding it. It created its own form of a clique; the 'cool kids' who talked about literature.
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