Neo-psychoanalysis In Winesburg, Ohio

Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), one of the first American psychological writers, influenced many great writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, F. S. Fitzgerald, and some others. So it is justifiable to say that Sherwood Anderson is the master of masters.Winesburg, Ohio, the first fictional work of Sherwood Anderson, explores humankind’s psychological problems in the society. Winesburg is the epitome of all mid-western small towns influenced by American industrial development. Anderson depicts each grotesque in Winesburg who experienced mental sufferings during the process of industrialization to the readers.Observing the criticisms at home and abroad on Winesburg, Ohio, the author found that most domestic critics’ researches were made from the aspect of theme, social background, narration skills and story structures. But the analyses for grotesques from the perspective of Freud’s Theory will not be enough to explain the of the work. Erich Fromm’s Neo-psychoanalysis, however, which combines Freud and Marx’s ideas, put forward the "Humanistic Psychoanalysis" theory, inherits the Classic Psychoanalysis and emphasizes the influence of social environment on people’s developments, especially on people’s mental impact during the social change, will better reveal the author’s purpose.Four chapters are composed in the thesis. Chapter Ⅰ is an introduction of the research background. Literature review consists of the researches at home and abroad. Chapter Ⅱ starts from psychoanalysis and then introduces Fromm’s Neo-psychoanalysis. Human situation, human’s needs and the social character will be illustrated respectively. Chapter Ⅲ mainly deals with text analysis. The grotesques in his stories will be analyzed according to Fromm’s theory. Chapter Ⅳ summarizes this paper, a conclusion will be made on psychological needs in one’s growth and development, and the value and its significance of love and the sane society will be highlighted.