The Grotesques In Winesburg, Ohio By Sherwood Anderson

Winesburg, Ohio, is the most typical work in his literary career, and is also one of the most typical works in the long American literary history. The author Sherwood Anderson not only described the American society transferred from the agriculture-industry society to an industrial society, but he also diagnoses the illnesses of the American society and deeply described the inner heart of the American people. This masterpiece is a complete American novel. It gets rid of the European influence to American literature, and the first time to show Americans'own world.The studies and documents on Winesburg, Ohio before are almost around the subject of"grotesque"and paid much attention on the analysis on the grotesque behaviors. But this thesis is the new explanation on the term of"grotesque"and the grotesques. The origin of the term grotesque, the different definitions of the grotesque and the cause of grotesque can be found in this thesis. In addition, Sherwood Anderson is not the first author who use the term of grotesque in his work. The term of grotesque changed its meaning with the development of literature. Also, the thesis analyses the problems on religion, sexuality and marital relationships that the grotesques deal with. And the work also represents some different characteristics from others. So in fact, all the seemed grotesque people are not grotesque at all. It is the exactly reflection on the innocence of Winesburg people. At the mean time, it also expresses the memory and desire of Anderson to the pastoral life.The grotesques that Anderson described in his work have a great significance in American literature. Anderson did not only create the grotesques but also have great contributions on the American mid-western fictions. At the same tine this work also influent the coming generation authors such as Hemingway, Dreiser and Lewis etc. Winesburg, Ohio, is an epitome of American society during transformation and it is one of the most important works in American literature.