Given the transformation of the long, complex manuscript of The Garden of Eden into a short posthumously edited novel, it may be too early, or even beside the point, to discuss the relation of this novel to Hemingway's previous work. However, the novel does develop certain themes which he had treated in earlier work: androgyny, sexual roles, betrayal, the vocation of writing. The Garden of Eden, in whatever form we finally have it, will perhaps stand as Hemingway's most complete, detailed, and compelling treatment of these concerns. Finally, as the only long Hemingway fiction centered on the portrait of the writer at work, it may be his most self-reflexive and "contemporary" novel. This view, currently held by many commentators, may or may not prove in the long run to be accurate and useful, but it does suggest some of the ways in which The Garden of...