Grotesquery In Winesburg, Ohio

Sherwood Anderson is regarded as father of modern American literature by William Faulkner and his masterpiece Winesburg, Ohio is hailed as both a "first-rate psychological document" and "a fable of American estrangement."With sophisticated writing skills and incisive insights, Anderson profoundly explores the "grotesque" in America when the country was in transition from an agrarian country to an industrial society. In this twenty-five short-story novel, Winesburg, Ohio gives a vivid description of the living condition of the grotesque characters whose souls are twisted by a lack of understanding and love, by the sharp conflict between their obsessed beliefs and the changing society, and by their dreams and their disillusionment. Those grotesques are portrayed from their abnormal appearance to their twisted soul. Seen from their appearance, most of them have deformities either in hands or eyes, or in other part of their body. While deep inside, they are suffering from various kinds of psychological problems. Anderson presents vividly their mental activities and their desperate cries for love and understanding.This thesis applies the method of the New Criticism and the theory of Cultural Studies to the study of Winesburg, Ohio and explores the social and cultural significance of grotesquery Anderson portrays in the novel.This thesis is composed of three chapters. Chapter One gives a general view of the social and historical background under which this novel takes place, with emphasis on the profound influences of the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution on people’s life. Chapter Two focuses on the characters’ physical deformities and their psychological problems, for most of them not only look like grotesque, but also have some psychological problems which prevent them from behaving like normal person. Chapter Three deals with the underlying causes of their grotesqueness, which include personal, cultural and social causes.