I love that disgustingly sexist, needlessly depressing drivel. I am rather fond of Hemingway, and I am nuts about Emily Dickenson. And I find myself a very happy undepressed sort of person. The praise for Hemingway's writing wasn't so much the stories that he told, but the way that he told them. I was his way with words and how much he managed to fit into so little words. But I agree he is not for everyone, and it is unfortunate that English classes tend to tout him and the end all be all of writers. I have the belief that English classes creat as many haters of literature as they create fans of it. I feel it should be the duty of a literature class to expose the students to as many different writers and styles of wrting as possible, and give them a taste for what they may and may not like. When a class focuses on just the writers that the teacher gets off on and breezes past the ones they don't like as much (as is often the case), then it really isn't benefiting anyone very much. There is something out there for everyone, but it seems when the student decides his tastes are definately not the same as those of his instructor, it is easy for him to assume that all classic works of literature are also not within his tastes. I have seen that happen many times, and it is very sad.