英语系论文Word格式.docx

英语系论文Word格式.docx

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SherwoodAnderson’sViewofWomeninWinsburg,Ohio

STUDENT:

HOULiping

TUTOR:

XUConghui（Lecturer）

GRADE:

Grade2008

MAJOR:

EnglishEducation

DEPARTMENT:

EnglishEducationDepartment

COLLEGE:

FacultyofWesternLanguages

andLiteratures

May,2012

SherwoodAnderson’sViewofWomeninWinsburg,Ohio

HOULiping

Abstract:

InWinesburg,Ohio，SherwoodAndersondepictsforuswomeninagroupinWinesburg,thesmalltowninAmericanMidwestafterindustrialcivilizationintheearlyof20thcentury.ThispaperwilldeeplyanalyzethefemalecharactersinWinesburg,Ohioandtheauthor'

sviewofwomen,andwilldiscussthereasonsforthewomancharactersinto“freak”,thusexplorethewayforwomenrealizetothemselvesandbuildtheharmoniouswoman-manrelationship.

Keywords:

Winesburg,Ohio;

womaninagroup;

viewofwoman

1.Introduction

Americanliteraturebeginswiththeorallytransmittedmyths,legends,tales,andlyricswhicharealwayssongsofwomen’sview.InWinesburg,Ohio,SherwoodAndersondispressedhisviewofwomenafterindustialcivilization.SowillintroduceSherwoodAndersonandWineaburg,Ohiointhefellowing.

1.1SherwoodAnderson

SherwoodAnderson（1876-1941）wasborninCamden,Ohio.In1883theAndersonssettledinClyde，Ohio.ItisasmalltownintheheartlandofAmericathatlaterservedasamodelforWinesburg.Althoughhereceivedaspottyeducationandneverfinishedhighschool，Andersonpossessedanentrepreneurialspiritandalwaysimaginedagloriousfutureforhimself.Ayearortwoafterhismother’sdeathin1895，hejourneyedtoChicago.Andersonbecameanadvertisingcopywriterinthesummerof1900inChicago.Hesatisfiedhisgrowinginterestincreativewritingandoftenturnedoutessays,sketches,andstoriesinhissparetime.Followinghismarriagein1904toCorneliaLane,Andersonbecameheadofamail-orderfirminClevelandandsubsequentlyestablishedhisownbusinessinElyria,Ohio.

ThesuccessfulbookWinesburg,Ohiowaswrittenin1919andthusthe1920swasaproductiveandrewardingperiodforAnderson.Inthesummerof1921hetraveledtoEuropeandmetJamesJoyce,GertrudeStein,andFordMadoxFord,andthemoreofAnderson’snaturalisticimpressionsofAmericanlifeintalesandpoems,theTriumphoftheEgg,waspublishedinthefallofthatyear.Thereafterdevotinghisenergiesexclusivelytowriting,Andersonproducedtwomorenovels-MarryMarriages（1922）andDarkLaughter（1925）,hisonlybestseller-aswellastwomorecollectionsofstories，HorsesandMen（1923）andAliceandtheLostNovel（1929）.Anderson’sliteraryreputationdeclinedinthe1930s.Heproducedtwoflawednovels-BeyondDesire（1932）andKatBrandon（1936）,whichembodiedhisbeliefsaboutboththefailureandthepromiseofAmericanlife.LateinFebruaryof1941hesailedfromNewYorkonatriptoSouthAmericawithhisfourthwifebuttakenillaboardship,SherwoodAndersondiedofperitonitisinahospitalonMarch8,1941.Hisfinalwork,SherwoodAnderson’smemoirs,appearedposthumouslyin1942.

1.2Winesburg,Ohio–AnAmericanModernWork

Winesburg,OhioasoneofhisnovelsandcollectionoftalesistheonewhichestablishedSherwoodAndersonasatalentedmodernAmericanauthor.Sinceitsfirstappearancein1919,thecollectionof“individualtalesbutallaboutlivesinsomewayconnected”hasbeencontinuouslyinprintandtranslatedintomorethantwentylanguages,acclaimingatimelessclassicwithgenerationalanduniversalthemes.ThediversityofthemesandthepioneeringstylemadeWinesburg,Ohioarichsourceforliterarycriticism.Itisstudiedmainlyasanaturalisticwork,oneoftheearliestpost-WorldWarIavant-gardeworksbecauseofitsexplorationofthegrotesqueandofthemodernmaninmodernsociety.ItistakenasaworkofbaldingromanbysuchcriticslikeEdwinFuselsandCarolBakerwhofindGeorgeWillard’sjourneytowardmaturityandmanhoodandhissubsequentescapefromWinesburgtobeitscenter.ButDavidD.AndersondemonstratesthatGeorgeWillard’sroleissecondarytothepeopleaboutwhomeachstorycenters.hesays,“toeachofthegrotesquesheappearstobewhatthatindividualwantshimtobe,”andhealsosuggeststhatwereadermustunderstandtheindividualcharactersandtheirhumanexperienceinordertofullyunderstandthebook.

ThesignificanceofWinesburg,Ohioalsoliesinitsmoderntechniques.Inthisbook,AndersonbrokeawayfromthetraditionofgentilitythathaddominatedfictionwritingintheUnitedStates.ThestoryconcernsaninwardrealitythatfocusesonthepsychologyofindividualinasmallAmericantown,whichdemonstratesanawarenessoftheimplicationofSigmundFreud,particularlyreflectedonthechangeofwomen’spsychology.

2.Women’sLifeandStruggleintheTown

InWinesburg,Ohiowomensufferedfrombothnon-communicationandthesocialpatriarchy,thelaterevenhurtthetendersoulsmoreseverely.Eitherasmothersdaughtersorwives,womendidn’tbeenunderstoodandrespectedbytheirmalecounterparts,nottomentionloveorsympathy.Thegeneralsocialbackgroundwasthetransitionfromthequietpastoralagetothenoisyindustrializedworld,andbothmenandwomenwereoverwhelmedbymachines.Atthatage,menwereconfusedbythehugepowerofmachines,andtheyfeltthreatenedbytheindustry,thereforetheywereunabletolovewomen.AsJiangLixianghasobservedinheressay,women’spriorityistoloveandbeloved;

butinfrontofthecomingmachineage,”machinesimprisonedmenandmenarehumiliatedandnolongerenjoytheircreativityandconfidence,hencelosingcontrolintheirrelationshipwithwomen”（2005:

3）.Whatisworse,themale-centeredsocialtraditionmademostmentreatwomenasinferiors,amongthetown’sinhabitantstherewassomesortofmale-domination,andthetragicthingisthatmostwomenacceptedthediscriminationwithoutself-awakening.Thegeneralpictureofthelivingconditionofthewomenwasagloomone.

Asmothers,thewomenfailedtoexpresstheirloveandhopefortheirchildren,theydidnotgetunderstandingandclosenessfromtheirchildreninreturn.Thetypicalmother-sonrelationshipwasdescribedbetweenElizabethWillardandGeorgeWillard.Theauthorrepeatedlystressedthat“therewasadeepunexpressedbondofsympathy,basedonagirlhooddreamthathadlongagodied”（WO,40）.Aswivesandlovers,thewomenagaingotlittleunderstandingandlovefromthemen.Inthesocialenvironment,mentreatedwomenmerelyassexualpartners,theyventedtheirlustbutreturnedlittleloveandrespect.ElizabethWillardwasagoodexample.

Asawhole,women’slivingconditioninthetownofWinesburgwasdepressing.Non-communicationandthemale-centeredsocialtraditionmadeamostharshenvironmentforthewomentothrive.Thewomencharacterssufferfromhumanisolationmoreseverelythantheirmalecounterpart,yetunderthewriter’spen,somefemaleinhabitantshavedisplayedgreatintelligenceandwisdomaboutlife.Inthenextpart,discussionsoftheseenlighteningandtragicelementsinthosewomen’slifewillbegivenindetail.

2.1ElizabethWillard–ADreamGirlandSilentMother

ElizabethWillardisgenerallytakenasadefeatedmotherandwife---hersonnevercameclosetoherduringherlifethoughthedidunderstandthemotherandtriedtoexpressthecommondreamthem,andherhusbandresentedherexistence.whenElizabethwasayounggirl,shewasfullofenergyandshecherishedfantasticdreams;

shewantedtoliveanideallifeandshetriedtoloveothersandtobelovedinreturn,justLikethecat’s（Death）“creepingintothedoorofthebakery”.Butinfrontofrealityherdreamwassmashedtoeverybit,shegotnoloveandherstruggleforideallifefailedcompletely.Theauthorportrayedherbitterlifeassuch:

”someobscurediseasehadtakenthefireoutofherfigure.Listlesslyshewentabout,doingtheworkofachambermaidamongbedssoiledbytheslumbersoffattravellingman”（WO,39）.Itissuchalifethatliterallymirrorsalivingdeath.Whatisevenworse,shehadtobearherhusband’s,resentmentandabuse:

“TomWillardtriedtoputthewifeoutofhismind.Thepresenceofthetallghostlyfigure,movingslowlythroughthehalls,hetookasareproachtohimself.Whenhethoughtofherhegrewangryandswore.…Ashewentspruceandbusiness-likethroughthestreetsofWinesburg,hesometimesstoppedandturnedquicklyaboutasthoughfearingthatthespiritofthehotelandofthewomanwouldfollowhimevenintothestreets.‘Damnsuchalife,damnit!

’hesputteredaimlessly”（WO,39）.Lifefailedherthoroughly,andshetastedthebitterofrealityjustlikethecatbeingtrackedandhatedbythebaker.

Asayounggirl,Elizabethdreamedofjoiningsomecompanyandwanderingovertheworld,seeingalwaysnewfacesandgivingsomethingoutofherselftoallpeople:

“ShetriedtotalkofthemattertomembersofthetheatricalcompaniesthatcametoWinesburgandstoppedatherfather’shotel,shegotnowhere.Theydidnotseemtoknowwhatshemeant,ifshedidgetsomethingofherpassionexpressed,theyonlylaughed.‘It’snotlikethat,’theysaid.‘It’sasdullanduninterestingasthishere.Nothingcomesofit”（WO,46）.Shewaseagerforadventuresinlifebutshefoundnoproperwayforexpression;

inconfusionanddisappointmentshereleasedherrestlessnessinrelatingherselfwiththetravellingsalesmenstayinginherfather’shotel,shewalkedwiththetravellingmen,“alwaystheyseemedtounderstandandsympathizewithher,”andunderstandingiswhatthegirlwantedsobadly,butthetruthisthatthosementhemselvesgot