The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

I took on this classic novel by Hemingway as part of my exploration of the early 20th century, especially the post WWI era.

I decided to read it in conjunction with the Cliffs Notes study guide, something I don't believe I've done since high school.

I enjoyed the novel, but I almost certainly would not have really understood it without the study guide.  I don't know if I'm just not literary enough to appreciate such works on my own, or if possibly the separation of time (a full century in this case) stylistically renders it difficult to understand.

One of the original titles of the book - The Lost Generation - encapsulates the major theme, that of the generation of soldiers who survived the Great War, only to struggle to re-enter in the years that follow.  Set in the mid-1920s, life for this ensemble of American expats has little meaning after the jarring experiences of the War.

The survivors in this story spend their time drifting in Europe (Paris and Spain), drinking, wandering, partying, fighting, then drinking more.  Not completely self-destructive, but far from productive, they live in a sort-of postwar purgatory from which they can't escape. 

I'm committed to continue to read such novels to help me understand the time periods that I study, even if that means resorting to study guides to help me really understand.