Randolph student spends spring break studying original works by Hemingway

Alison Hyler ’18 outside the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

Alison Hyler ’18 used her spring break to visit Boston, Massachusetts and research one of history’s most famous authors in the archives of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

An English literature major and aspiring English teacher, Hyler is writing a paper that details her pedagogy plan, which explains how she would teach students to dive into and closely examine historic literary works. One of those is Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants, which was one of the texts she examined at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum.

“One of my main sections is going to be on Hemingway’s draft of this story, where he makes a few minor changes that completely change my perception of the story,” Hyler explained. “I wanted to compare and analyze what these changes do to show my students that small details matter, and that editorial changes, or conflicts in editons—like with Shakespeare as the folios vs. quartos—make a big difference in meaning.”

Hyler received a RISE grant from Randolph, which helped cover travel expenses.

“This opportunity was an amazing introduction into the world of scholarly research and archival work, which is something that literary critics do,” Hyler said. “If I hope to ever publish any critical pieces, this project would give me a firm background in researching for a work. I also will be able to talk about this with my future students, and inspire them to look more into a text even past the printed edition.”