Sherwood+Anderson

SherwoodAnderson1876-1941SherwoodAnderson SherwoodAnderson(September13,1876–March8,1941)wasanAmericanwriter,mainlyofshortstories,mostnotablythecollectionWinesburg,Ohio.Thatwork'sinfluenceonAmericanfictionwasprofound,anditsliteraryvoicecanbeheardinErnestHemingway,WilliamFaulkner,ThomasWolfe,JohnSteinbeck,ErskineCaldwellandothers.SherwoodAnderson Life Works Winesburg,OhioLife(MajorWorksincluded) SherwoodAnderson,thethirdofsevenchildren,wasborninCamden,Ohioin1876.Heleftschoolat14andaftervariousjobsservedintheSpanish-AmericanWar(1898-9). AfterleavingtheUSArmy,AndersonworkedasamanagerofapaintfactoryinElyria,Ohio.In1908hebeganwritingshortstoriesandnovels.HemovedtoChicagowherehefoundworkinanadvertisingagency.AndersonbecamefriendswithotherwritersinChicagosuchasFloydDell,TheodoreDreiser,BenHechtandCarlSandburg.Life Andersonsharedhisfriendsradicalpoliticalviewsandin1914andbeganhavinghisworkpublishedinTheMasses,asocialistjournaleditedbyFloydDellandMaxEastman.Thisincludedthestoriesaboutsmall-townlifethatweresubsequentlypublishedasWinesburg,Ohio.Anderson'sfirstnovel,WindyMcPherson'sSonwaspublishedin1916.Thiswasfollowedbythenovel,MarchingMen(1917)andacollectionofprosepoems,AmericanChants(1918).Life Winesburg,Ohio(1919),Anderson'smostimportantwork,waspublishedin1919.Thebook,acollectionof23inter-relatedstoriesofsmall-townlife,featuresGeorgeWillard,areporterforthelocalnewspaper,whohasambitionstobecomeafamouswriter.OtherbookspublishedbyAndersonduringthisperiodincludedPoorWhite(1920),TheTriumphoftheEgg(1921),ManyMarriages(1923)andHorsesandMen(1923).Althoughconsideredtobeaminorworkbythecritics,Anderson'smostcommercialsuccessfulnovelwasDarkLaughter(1925).Life Anderson,whoseautobiography,AStoryTeller'sStory,waspublishedin1924,failedtorecapturethestandardoftheworkproducedinWinesburg,Ohio.HislaterworksuchasTar:AMidwestChildhood(1926),BeyondDesire(1932)andDeathintheWoods(1933)failedtomakeanimpactoncriticsorthebook-buyingpublic.SherwoodAndersondiedofperitonitisinPanamaon8thMarch,1941.Works WindyMcPherson'sSon,(1916,novel) MarchingMen,(1917,novel) Winesburg,Ohio,(1919,novel) PoorWhite,(1920,novel) TriumphoftheEgg,(1921,shortstories) ManyMarriages,(1923,novel) HorsesandMen,(1923,shortstories) AStory-Teller'sStory,(1924,semi-autobiographicalnovel) SherwoodAnderson'sMemoirs,(1924,memoirs) AnExibitionofPaintingsByAlfredH.Maurer,(1924,non-fiction) DarkLaughter,(1925,novel) AMeetingSouth,(1925,novel) ModernWriter,(1925,non-fiction)Works Tar:AMidwestChildhood,(1926,semi-autobiographicalnovel) SherwoodAnderson'sNotebook,(1926,memoirs) HelloTowns,(1929,shortstories) Alice:TheLostNovel,(1929,novel) OntoBeingPublished,(1930,non-fiction) BeyondDesire,(1932,novel) DeathintheWoods,(1933,essays) PuzzledAmerica,(1935,essays) KitBrandon,(1936,novel) Dreiser:ABiography,(1936,non-fiction) WinesburgandOthers,(1937,play) HomeTown,(1940,novel)Works SanFranciscoatChristmas,(1940,memoirs) LivesofAnimals,(1966,novel) ReturntoWinesburg,Ohio,(1967,essays) TheMemoirsofSherwoodAnderson,(1968,memoirs) NoSwank,(1970,novel) PerhapsWomen,(1970,novel) TheBuckFeverPapers,(1971,essays) TenShortPlays,(1972,plays) SherwoodAndersonandGertrudeStein:CorrespondenceandPersonalEssays,(1972,essays) NearertheGrassRoots,(1976,novel)Works TheWriteratHisCraft,(1978,non-fiction) PaulRosenfeld:VoyagerintheArts,(1978,nonfiction) TheTeller'sTale,(1982,novel) SelectedLetters:1916–1933,(1984,letters) Writer'sDiary:1936-1941,(1987,memoir) EarlyWritingsofSherwoodAnderson,(1989,shortstories) LoveLetterstoEleanorCopenhaverAnderson,(1990,letters) TheSelectedShortStoriesofSherwoodAnderson,(1995,shortstories) SouthernOdyssey:SelectedWritingsBySherwoodAnderson,(1998,shortstories)Winesburg,Ohio ShortSummary Characters MajorthemesShortSummary 1.Winesburg,Ohiobeginswithasortofprologue,inwhichanoldwriterimaginesallthepeoplehehasknownas"grotesques,"warpedintheirpursuitsofvarioustruths.Aseriesofstoriesensues,eachconcernedwithasingleresidentofWinesburg.Thefirst,entitled"Hands,"describesWingBiddlebaum,areclusewithremarkablehandsthathecannotcontrol,whohasfledfromfalseaccusationsofmolestingaboyinanothertown.Thesecond,"PaperPills,"isaboutDoctorReefy,anagingmedicalmanwhomarriesoneofhisyoungpatients,onlytohaveherdiesixmonthslater.Inthethird,"Mother,"wemeetElizabethWillard,themotherofthebook'scentralcharacter,GeorgeWillard,whoisayoungreporterforthelocalpaper.Elizabethisasickwoman,trappedinanunhappymarriage,andsheimaginesherselflockedinastrugglewithherhusbandforinfluenceoverGeorge.ShortSummary 2.Inthenextstory,"ThePhilosopher,"theeccentricDoctorParcivalimaginesthatalynchmobisafterhim,andtellsGeorgeWillardthesecretoflife:"EveryoneintheworldisChristandtheyareallcrucified."In"NobodyKnows,"GeorgegoesoutintothefieldsandsleepswithagirlnamedLouiseTrunnion,onlytofeelguiltyaboutitafterward.Thenextfourstories,alllumpedundertheheading"Godliness,"depictJesseBentley,awealthyfarmerwhoimagineshimselfaBiblicalfigurechosenbyGod.Hisdaughter,LouiseBentley,receivesnolovefromhim,andstumblesintoalovelessmarriage.Herson,DavidHardy,issenttolivewithhisgrandfatherontheoldman'sfarm,andJessetakestheboyoutintotheforestinsearchofamessagefromGod.Hefindsnomessage,however,andsucceedsonlyintraumatizingtheboysomuchthatDavidrunsawayfromWinesburgforever.ShortSummary 3.In"AManofIdeas,"thenextstory,atalkativemannamedJoeWellingsuccessfullycourtsawomanwhosefatherandbrotherarenotoriousthugs.Thefollowingstory,"Adventure,"depictsthelonelinessofAliceHindman,anunmarriedwomanwhosetruelove(assheconsidershim)leftWinesburgyearsagoandhasneverreturned."Respectability"portraysWashWilliams,thefilthy,uglytelegraphoperatorinWinesburgwhodespiseswomenbecauseofhiswife'sinfidelityandhismother-in-law'streachery."TheThinker,"tellsthestoryofabroodingyoungmannamedSethRichmondwhofeelsthathedoesnotbelonginWinesburg.AttheendofalongeveningwithHelenWhite,thedaughteroftheWinesburgbanker,hetellsherthatheplanstoleavetownforgood.ShortSummary 4."Tandy"tellsthestoryofalittlegirlnamedTandyHardwhosefirstnamecomesfromadrunkenman'sdescriptionoftheperfectwoman.In"TheStrengthofGod,"aministernamedCurtisHartmanistemptedintolustbythesightofKateSwift,alocalschoolteacher.Histemptationpasseswhenheseesher,onesnowynight,prayingnaked."TheTeacher"takesplaceonthesamenight,anddepictsKateSmith'sattractiontoGeorgeWillard--hersimultaneousdesirestoteachandembracehim--andhersuddenguiltyflightfromhisoffice,whichleaveshimconfused."Loneliness"detailsEnochRobinson'smovefromWinesburgtoNewYork,wherehepopulateshisapartmentwithimaginaryfriends,onlytohavethemmoveoutwhenhetriestotellhisfemaleneighboraboutthem.ShortSummary 5.In"AnAwakening,"GeorgeWillardgoesoutwalkingonenightandhaswhathethinksisanepiphany.HetriestotellBelleCarpenter,thegirlhehasbeenseeing,aboutit,butanotheroneofhersuitorsbeatshimup,andthemagicoftheeveningslipsaway."Queer"depictstheresentmentthatElmerCowley,thesonofastoreowner,feelstowardWinesburgandGeorgeWillardbecausehethinksthatthetownconsidershisfamilytobeodd.ThestoryendswithElmerbeatingupGeorgeandhoppingatrainoutoftown.In"TheUntoldLie,"afarmhandnamedHalWintersasksanotherfarmhandnamedRayPearsonforadviceaboutwhethertogetmarried,causingRaytoreflectonhismarriage,whichhedoeswithdisgust."Drink"portraysagenial,happyyoungmannamedTomFosterandhisfirstexperiencewithdrunkenness.ShortSummary 6.In"Death,"ElizabethWillardandDoctorReefyspendtimetogetherandbegintofallinlove,assheslipstowarddeath.Shedies,finally,andGeorgedecidestoquitWinesburgforever.In"Sophistication,"heandHelenWhitegooutwalkingtogetheronthenightofthecountyfair,andrunaroundlikechildrenaseveningfallsonWinesburg.Botharemovingonfromtheirsmalltown,asHelenisgoingtocollege,andinthefinalstory,"Departure,"GeorgeWillardboardsatrainandleavesWinesburgforgood,lettinghislifethere"becomebutabackgroundonwhichtopaintthedreamsofhismanhood."Characters GeorgeWillard  WingBiddlebaum  DoctorReefy  ElizabethWillard GeorgeWillard AyoungmanwhoworksasareporterinWinesburg,Ohio.Despitethefactthatheisoneoftheleastdevelopedofthemajorcharacters,heoccupiesthecentralroleinthebook.Asaresultofeitherchancemeetingsorotherpeople'sdecisionstoconfideinhim,Georgeisthefigurewholinksmanyofthenovel'sdisparatestoriestogether.WingBiddlebaum Asensitiveex-schoolteacherwhowasaccusedofmolestingoneofhismalepupilsinatownnearWinesburg.Hishandsareamazinglydexterous,buthehasdifficultycontrollingthem,andtheytendtowanderwheretheydon'tbelong.DoctorReefy Anagingdoctorwithadecliningpractice.Hemarriesayoungfemalepatient,butshediesafterlessthanayear.HealsodevelopsacloserelationshipwithElizabethWillardduringherlastmonths.ElizabethWillard GeorgeWillard'smother,andTomWillard'swife.Shelivesinthefamily'srun-downboardinghouse,wheresheisconstantlyillandhasbecomeaninvalid.Shedisplaysdesperateimpotenceinherdealingswithotherpeople,includingherhusbandandson.MajorThemes Lifeindeath Thepastoral Failureofabsolutetruth RebellionagainstvaluesdominatingAmericanculture WinesburgasamicrocosmoftheuniversalLifeindeath Mostofthefiguressharethesimilarhistoryofafailedpassioninlife,ofsomekindoranother.Manyarelonelyintrovertswhostrugglewithaburningfirewhichstillsmoldersinsideofthem.Themomentsdescribedbytheshortstoriesareusuallythemomentswhenthepassiontriestoresurfacebutnolongerhasthestrength.Thestoriesarebriefglimpsesofpeoplefailing.Thepastoral Thenarratoroftenemploysathemeofmocksentimentalitytowardtheold,colloquialfarmlandthatWinesburgrepresentsassmalltown.Morelargely,itprovidesabackgroundforexaminingthebreakdownofthearchetypalpatternsofhumanexistence:sacrifice,initiation,andrebirth.Failureofabsolutetruth Andersonbelievedthatoneshouldkeepseparatetheworldsofrealismandfantasy.Hedidnotbelievethatanauthorcouldnotwriteaboutbothoraboutthecollisionoftheseworldsbuthefearedthatauthorswouldbecomestuckonrealismornaturalismandforgetabouttheimportanceofdreams,idealism,surrealism,andfantasy.Eachofhisfiguresgraspedatleastonetruthasabsoluteandmadeittheirmantra.Thedecisiontobaseallofone'sexistenceonanabsolutetruthtransformedthefigureintoagrotesqueandthetruthintoalie.RebellionagainstvaluesdominatingAmericanculture Thedegenerationofcommunalbondsbetweenpeople-sexual,familial,friendship,ritualmodesofreligion-wasacommonthemefirsttracedbyAndersonandthenbymanyofthenextgeneration(Hemingway,Fitzgerald,T.S.Eliot).ItoriginatedafterWorldWarIbecauseofadisillusionmenttowardamodernsocietywhichwasmaterialisticandbusiness/industryoriented.Thesensesofmodernmenwereanesthetizedandtheylackedpersonalidentity.Theisolatedhumanofmodernitywasunfitfortheloveofmenorcommunity.Winesburgasamicrocosmoftheuniversal ThefiguresofWinesburgwereforcedtohandleissuesandeventswhichpeopleuniversallyunderwent.Manycommonthreadsbetweenmanandbetweentheselfinrelationtotheworldexistwhichthegrotesquefiguresdealwithinamannertowhichanyreadercouldrelate.WinesburgthenbecomesAnyTown,USAandthecharacterssymbolizeflawsandstrugglesintheuniversalhumanexperience.Winesburgfunctionssynecdochallyforthetypicalhumancommunity.