University warns awakened students that Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel The Old Man and the Sea contains graphic scenes … by FISHING
- History and literature students at the University of the Mountains and Islands of Scotland have been warned that the classic novel contains “graphic scenes from fishing”
- Television and film adaptations of the 1952 classic have received U and PG certificates
- The university said content warnings allow students to make informed choices
This is a story about a man’s heroic struggle against the elements and is often seen as a metaphor for life itself. But Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel, The Old Man and the Sea, is the latest victim of today’s awakened standards, and students have been warned that it contains “graphic fishing scenes.”
Consecutive television and film adaptations of the 1952 classic have been awarded U and PG certificates suitable for children, but a warning has been issued to students of history and literature at the University of the Mountains and Islands in Scotland, an area known for its fishing. industry.
Mary Dearborn, author of Ernest Hemingway’s Biography, said: “This is nonsense. I am excited to think that students may be encouraged to avoid the book.
Consecutive television and film adaptations of the 1952 classic have been awarded U and PG certificates suitable for children (pictured by Ernest Hemingway (right) with Spencer Tracy (left)
“The world is a place of violence and it is counterproductive to pretend otherwise. Much of the violence in history is rooted in the natural world. This is the law of nature.
Jeremy Black, an honorary professor of history at the University of Exeter, added: “This is particularly foolish, given the dependence of the economy of the mountains and islands on industries such as fishing and agriculture.
“Many great literary works include references to agriculture, fishing, whaling or hunting. Does the university seriously suggest that all this literature is surrounded by warnings?
The content warning was revealed in documents received by The Mail on Sunday under the Freedom of Information Act.
The novel tells the story of Santiago, an aging fisherman who catches an 18-foot marlin while sailing in his boat off the coast of Cuba.
Unable to tie the giant fish to the back of the small ship or pull it on board, he continues to hold the line indefinitely for days and nights.
Despite the severe physical pain, Santiago feels compassion for the captured animal. It is only when the fish begins to orbit his ship that he reluctantly kills him, but is then forced to fight several sharks that intend to devour the carcass and kill him.
The novel tells the story of Santiago, an aging fisherman who catches an 18-foot marlin while sailing in his boat off the coast of Cuba.
Fans of the novel believe that Santiago’s battle with the forces of nature is a reference to Hemingway’s own struggles, while others see the story as a metaphor for Christianity.
Santiago is punished for killing a marlin and tells the sharks that they killed his dreams before he finally reaches the shore.
Fans of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel for fiction believe that Santiago’s battle with the forces of nature is a reference to Hemingway’s own struggles, while others see the story of bloodshed, endurance and sacrifice as a metaphor for Christianity.
The University of the Highlands and Islands, made up of 13 research institutions and colleges, has issued content warnings for other classics.
Students studying Homer’s Iliad, written in the 8th century BC, and Beowulf, an English poem written around 1025 AD, were warned that they contained scenes from brutal close combat. “
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is marked because it contains “forced murder and cruelty,” and students studying Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet are warned that the plays contain scenes of “stabbing, poisoning, and suicide.”
A university spokesman said: “Content alerts allow students to make informed choices.”
Advertising