Hi there! This is going to be a post about Sherwood Anderson. He's definitely worth blogging about, because a lot of people don't know him.
Sherwood Anderson was born on September 13th 1876 in Camden, Ohio. He died on March 8th 1941 after swallowing a tooth pick, which perforated his colon. What a random way to die!
During his life he made quite a splash by his unorthodox lifestyle.
From 1900-1907 he worked as a business man. In 1912 he had a mental breakdown and disappeared for four days. After that he decided to leave his wife and children to pursue his writing career. I guess artistry came before family for him.
He published two novels, "Windy McPherson's Son" and "Marching Men". They never became really popular, because they were criticized for their lack of plot.
His biggest achievement was the publication of "Winesburg, Ohio", which is a short story collection. It consists of 22 stories, which play in the fictional town Winesburg, Ohio.
It's worth mentioning that Sherwood Anderson developed a special writing theory, which he delivered in a speech, titled "A Writer's Conception of Realism". In this speech he stated that reality and art should be totally separated spheres: art should be socially and politically impartial. He titled those separated spheres "fact" (reality) and "fancy" ( world of art).
He viewed realism as bad art:
"There is something very confusing to both readers and writers about the notion of realism in fiction. As generally understood it is akin to what is called "representation" in painting. The fact is before you and you put it down, adding a high spot here and there, to be sure. No man can quite make himself a camera. Even the most realistic worker pays some tribute to what is called 'art'. Where does representation end and art begin? The location of the line is often as confusing to practicing artists as it is to the public"(Sherwood Anderson, A Writer's Conception of Realism)He effectively argued that reality cannot be portrayed, because everyone perceives it differently. In his view reality ("fact") is only material and the artist should alter and play with this material in order to create art ("fancy"). According to Anderson the artist should try to imagine a future world in his art, which is better and more beautiful than the real world. His initial aim should be to change the real world with this utopia. Therefore art ( "The fancy") has to react upon reality ( "The fact").
Anderson "religified" art, because he said it should have a "spiritual leadership" and that the artist resembles a priest.
How can this be seen in Winesburg, Ohio?
The first thing that comes to mind after reading a selection of the short stories is that he didn't manage to deploy his writing theory in his short stories. Or possibly didn't want to? There is a common theme, that underlies all the stories in the collection: They're all about a specific character's past and present struggle to overcome the loneliness and inability to communicate that pervades the town and their personal relationships. The characters manage to escape this isolation only for a few moments. Therefore Anderson deployed literary naturalism, which assesses human will power negatively. It believes that we can't control the things that happen to us and that we have to give in to our fates.
This can be best seen in "Paper Pills", one of the short stories: It's about the love of Doctor Reefy and his much younger wife, who died after a year after they were married. He's certainly depressed, because after his wife's death he sat by a window all day long, which was "covered with cobwebs".
A rather depressing story, isn't it? Not for Sherwood Anderson: In his opinion the young lady and Doctor Reefy were the lucky ones, because they found true happiness, although it was an "odd happiness": They're many years apart and they were soon separated by death. The young woman is a rich heiress, who could have married the son of a jeweler, one of her many suitors. But this young man gives her the creeps: He constantly talks lustfully about virginity and at night she has nightmares, dreaming that he "he had bitten into her body and that his jaws were dripping". Instead, she takes great pleasure in sitting with Dr. Reefy, listening to the things he scribbled down on little bits of paper. Sherwood Anderson wants to tell us that beauty can often be found in the seemingly weird things in life. He chose a nice metaphor for that:
"On the trees are only a few gnarled apples that the pickers have rejected. They look like the knuckles of Doctor Reefy’s hands. One nibbles at them and they are delicious. Into a little round place at the side of the apple has been gathered all of its sweetness. One runs from tree to tree over the frosted ground picking the gnarled, twisted apples and filling his pockets with them. Only the few know the sweetness of the twisted apples" (Sherwood Anderson: Paper Pills)Look below the surface. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, so try to find beauty and meaning in the "abnormalities" in life. Life can be bleak, sad and depressing, but you can find beauty and happiness in fragments, in tiny bits and pieces.
There is a great quote from the movie "American Beauty", which comes to mind:
"I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday. "
Watch American Beauty Ending Monologue on Youtube
"Winesburg, Ohio" has great philosophical value, but it isn't hard to decipher. Every short story in it is written in plain-spoken prose and short. The perfect reading material before going to bed. It will make you think, but it won't keep you awake all night, rolling from one side to the other. I would definitely recommend reading it!
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