Sherwood-Anderson&-the-egg

WriterofHumanFrustrationsSherwoodAnderson舍伍德·安德森(1876-1941)SherwoodAndersonanAmericannovelistandshortstorywriter.HismostenduringworkistheshortstorysequenceWinesburg,Ohio.WritershehasinfluencedincludeErnestHemingway,WilliamFaulkner,JohnSteinbeck,andJ.D.Salinger,amongothers.HisInfluence HehasbeencalledthefirstofAmerica's"psychologicalwriters"becausehefirstexploredthemotivationsandfrustrationsofhisfictionalcharactersintermsofSigmundFreud'stheoriesofpsychology. TheconceptofthegrotesquehadgreateffectonSouthernwriters. HisepisodicpatterngavetheguideforErnestHemingway'sInOurTimeandWilliamFaulker'sGoDown,Moses. WilliamFaulknersaidthatAndersonwas“thefatherofmygenerationofAmericanwritersandthetraditionofAmericanwritingoursuccessorswillcarryon.”I.ABriefBiographyAndersonwasbornintoapoorfamilyinCamden,Ohio,onSept.13,1876,butspenthisformativeyearsinthetownofClyde,Ohio,whichinspiredthesettingofmanyofhisstories.HeworkedinChicagoasalaborerin1896-1898,thenservedintheSpanishAmericanWar.II.HismajorworksHeattendedWittenbergAcademyinSpringfield,Ohio,in1900,thenwenttoChicago,wherehesoongainedsomesuccessasanadvertisingwriter.In1916,Andersonpublishedhisfirstnovelthatyear,WindyMcPhersonsSon《饶舌的麦克佛逊的儿子》.Hegainedwiderecognitionwiththepublicationin1919ofWinesburg,Ohio《俄亥俄州的温斯堡》又译《小镇畸人》.ThisbookmadeAndersonarevolutionaryforceinboththeformandsubjectmatteroftheAmericanshortstory.DifferentEditions Winesburg,Ohiowas"halfindividualtales,halflongnovelform",astheauthorhimselfdescribedit.Itconsistedoftwenty-threethematicallyrelatedsketchesandstories.Writteninasimple,realisticlanguageilluminatedbyamutedlyricism,Andersondramatizedcrucialepisodesinthelivesofhischaracters.ThenarrativeisunitedbytheappearanceofGeorgeWillard,ayoungreporter,whoisinrevoltagainstthenarrownessofthesmall-townlifeandwhoactsasacounterpointtotheotherpeopleofthetown.In1921AndersonreceivedthefirstDialAwardforhiscontributiontoAmericanliterature.HetraveledwidelyinEurope—inParishemetGertrudeStein,whoseworkhemuchadmired.AndersondiedinPanamaattheageof64whileonacruisetoSouthAmerica.Hediedforaccidentallyswallowingatoothpick.Hisepitaphreads,"Life,NotDeath,istheGreatAdventure”.III.HisWritingStyleThesimple,impressionisticstyleandvocabulary;Unconventionalnarrativetechnique;Plotsubordinatedtocharacterization;Complexityofmotivation,andaninterestinpsychologicalprocess;Naturalisticwriting;III.HisWritingStyle.Plotsubordinatedtocharacterization;.Simplestyleandvocabulary;.ImagesdrawnfromelementalaspectsofnatureTheThemeoftheWritings Itishistermforpeopledefeatedbyfalsedreams,peoplewhoseillusionshaveleftthemvulnerabletoprofoundhurtsfromwhichtheyneverrecover.Hisstoriesusuallydealwith"grotesque"sidesofthehumanconditionincludingpoverty,marginalisation,loveandromance.themeofhumanfrustration Anderson'slandmarkshortstoriesprovideglimpsesoffrustratedsmall-townAmericanlifefromtheperspectiveofthecentralconsciousnessofyoungheroes. Thestoriesarelinkedbytheircommonsettingandbycharacterswarpedbytheirenvironmentandinwardlydividedwithaskillfulcombinationofrealism,andcriticismofordinaryAmericanlife.HisBeliefs on LifeSocietyHuananity Pscychology&WrittingsFailureofabsolutetruth Andersonbelievedthatoneshouldkeepseparatetheworldsofrealismandfantasy.Hedidnotbelievethatanauthorcouldwriteaboutbothoraboutthecollisionoftheseworlds buthefearedthatauthorswouldbecomestuckonrealismornaturalismandforgetabouttheimportanceofdreams,idealism,surrealism,andfantasy. Eachofhisfiguresgraspedatleastonetruthasabsoluteandmadeittheirmantra.Thedecisiontobaseallofone'sexistenceonanabsolutetruthtransformedthefigureintoagrotesqueandthetruthintoalie.RebellionagainstvaluesdominatingAmericanculture Thedegenerationofcommunalbondsbetweenpeople-sexual,familial,friendship,ritualmodesofreligion-wasacommonthemefirsttracedbyAndersonandthenbymanyofthenextgeneration(Hemingway,Fitzgerald,T.S.Eliot). ItoriginatedafterWorldWarIbecauseofadisillusionmenttowardamodernsocietywhichwasmaterialisticandbusiness/industryoriented. Thesensesofmodernmenwereanesthetizedandtheylackedpersonalidentity.Theisolatedhumanofmodernitywasunfitfortheloveofmenorcommunity.DominatingAmericanValues Lifeshouldbebetterandricherandfullerforeveryone,withopportunityforeachaccordingtoabilityorachievement"regardlessofsocialclassesorcircumstancesofbirth. TheideaoftheAmericanDreamisrootedintheUnitedStatesDeclarationofIndependencewhichproclaimsthat“Allmenarecreatedequal"andthattheyare"endowedbytheirCreatorwithcertaininalienableRights"including"Life,LibertyandthepursuitofHappiness."Winesburg,Ohio Theworkexploresthethemeoflonelinessandfrustrationinsmall-townAmerica.Anderson'swritingoftenseemssimpleandplotless,astylethatechoesthehalf-consciousthoughtsandrawemotionsofWinesburg'sresidentsandtheirinabilitytoexpresstheirdeepesthopesandfears. Thetownspeoplearegrotesques,stuntedmorally,emotionally,mentally,orspiritually,andtheyareinarticulate.IV.SummaryofTheTriumphoftheEggItrevealsamiserableandridiculoussituationofanAmericancouplefromtheviewpointoftheirchild.Father,afarmerbecomesambitiousafterhegetsmarriedwithateacher.First,theytrytomakefortunebyraisingchickens,butfailintheend.Thentheygototownandrunasmallrestaurant.Fatherputsfetusinabottleofalcohol,andshowsittothecustomerstoattractthemhere,butinvain.Hethenplaysconjuringwitheggs.Peopledonotenjoyallhistricks,instead,theybelievehehasgonemad.AnalysisofthestructureandthecharactersThestructureofthisnovel Mainidea:thenarrator–“I”Theboy’sparentsstarttheirbusinessandfailintheend.Feature:.theangleofthefirstsubject.Terseandlivelylanguage.Colloquialstyle Thatmeans:It’sthetriumphoftheegg 1.chickenraising:chickensarebornoutoftheeggs,andwillsuffermanydiseases,mostofwhicharedead.Evensomeofthemstrugglethroughtomaturity,theydieintheend.Thedreadfulcycleisthusmadecomplete.Fatherfailsandeggwins.RestaurantBusiness:Grotesquechickenscollection:wonder,growingrichbyexhibitingthem.Heisarockonthesubjectofhistreasure.Valuable.Wonderful.Theconsequence:onlytomakehisguestill.Fatherfailsandeggwinsmakeaneggstand–rolledoverandlayonitsside.Eggtricksheatanegginvinegarandputitintoabottlewithoutbreakingitsshell–theeggbrokeunderhishand,andthecontentsspurtedoverhisclothes.FatherfailsandeggwinsCharacteranalysis “I”-thenarratorofthisstory-thesonpursuingforthehappyrurallifewithoutanystrains,notambitious.dislikeparents’ambitiouslifefullofhardworkandfailures.Pursuitforthequietrurallifeandironyofambitiouslife. JoeKane Oneoftheguestsintheirrestaurantandidentifiedfather’scompletefailure. Hisappearanceandparticipationreflectsnotfather’stragedybutthewholefamily’s. Mother Teacher,atallsilentwomanwithalongnoseandtroubledgreyeyes.Aserious,responsibleandambitiouswoman. Agoodwifeandagoodmother. Themaincausethatmakesfatherfailandbecometragic,actuallysheisalsoatragedytosomeextent. QuestionstoThinkOver 1.Whyfatherinsistskeepingsome"littlemonstrousthings--chickenhasfourlegs,twopairsofwings,twoheads"andsoon? 2.Howdoesthenarratorlookslike? 3.Whatdoestheeggsymbolize? 4.Whydowesaythateggwins?V.SuggestedAnswersThefatherthoughttheywerevaluableandpeoplemightliketolookatthem.Thenarratorisgloomyorpessimistic.Heisinclinedtoseedarksideoflifeduetohisgrowing-uponthechickenfarmwheredeathisadailybusiness.V.SuggestedAnswers3.TheegghascometosymbolizetheAmericanDreamwhichtookholdofnarrator’sparents,andthenarratorhimselfV.SuggestedAnswers4.Ononehand,theeggimpoverishedthenarrator’sparents’firstventure—thechickenfarm,whichfailedtopayofftheireffortsandinvestment.Ontheotherhand,itwastheeggthatruinedthefather’snewimpulseinlifethathewishedtoentertainandattractmorecustomerstothefamilysecondventure—runningarestaurantbydoingsometrickswiththeegg.Allhistricksturnedouttobefailures.V.SuggestedAnswersTherefore,thestoryisconcernedaboutthetriumphoftheeggincapturingthenarrator’sparents,andtheirfailurestorealizetheAmericanDream.