Winesburg, Ohio:an Artistic World Of Indetermination

Sherwood Anderson has a special status in the history of American literature. His representative work Winesburg, Ohio, published in 1919, is not only an precursor of American town literature, but also an outstanding composition that has typical modernist style. This novel draws a lot of attention from the domestic and foreign scholars and critics. In contrast, under the current vision of this early twentieth century’s novel, Winesburg, Ohio has a lot of Indetermination whether in ideological contents or artistic skills. Winesburg, Ohio can be said an art world of the Indetermination, established under a free innovation after Anderson’s breaking of the traditional fiction writing norms.The preface briefly introduces Sherwood Anderson’s literary achievements. Undertaking the evaluation of Winesburg, Ohio in literary history and a systematic research on the current material at home and abroad, based on which clarifying the perspective and the innovation of this paper.Chapter One presents a literature review of Indetermination, covering the definition of Indetermination, the social context in which it emerged and progressed, and its writing principles. Pointed out that Indetermination as a literary concept was produced in the postmodern period and usually applied to the analysis of postmodernism novel though, but before that period, in many works can capture the traces of Indetermination. Indetermination is not only for modern spiritual wasteland this topic, but also a creative principle and artistic skill enhancement. This chapter provides theoretical support for later study.Chapter Two, combining the spiritual connotation of Indetermination mentioned in the previous chapter, deeply explores the world outlook of Indetermination of Winesburg, Ohio. Mainly through four aspects:the uncertainty personality and contradictory character; confusion of wandering in the reality and fancy; belief shaking under the impact of secular; "the others" of the order under the falsehood of the truth. This chapter discusses that people lost in a vague, contradictory, uncertain condition under the industrial development and the impact of social change.Chapter Three discusses the literature and language conception of the novel. Anderson created his own artistic world of Indetermination. He innovated his writing style closely followed the change trend of the times. He not only created a distinct form between long novel and short stories, breaking the traditional model of time-driven linear structure and the model focused on plot and logic, creating a unique piece of performance in the field of consciousness,but also playing language game of the formation of simple style by refining words. He also used the deconstruction nature of language into character language, revealing the budding of deconstruction.Chapter Four discusses the aesthetic significance that Indetermination effects on Winesburg, Ohio. Firstly, increasing the depth of the novel, enhancing the beauty of connotation, and improving the readability; secondly, producing the effect of irony, also making the story developing forward to the different results; Lastly, causing readers’ participation, pondering the author objectively under the calm attitude of creation intention, and causing the think of the human condition difficulties by the plight of grotesques.That has a practical significance.