On the Iceberg Style of Ernest Hemingway

Comments on Hemingway’s style have seemed to agree on the simplicity and apparent naturalness of his prose, and its effect of profoundity.The principle of iceberg, which Hemingway adopts in his literary creation, was the main reason attracting readers and critics.The whole art of the principle is concision and profoundity, or saying what you mean in the fewest and clearest words.This essay mainly clarifies the connotation of the two parts of "iceberg"—the one eighth and the seven eighths; and the relations between them.It emphatically expounds how the writer uses the symbolism technique and how his language reaches a unique impact.In the last part of it, the author of the essay traces back to the key elements forming the principle and gives a pertinent conclusion on the style.