安徽三联学院外语学院美国文学课件Chapter 11 Sherwood Anderson.ppt

Sherwood Anderson 1876-1941 I. General Introduction II. Analysis of The Triumph of the Egg Ш. Appreciation I. General Introduction 1.His Position in American Literature “writer’s writer”, “father of my generation of American writers”(William Faulkner) He influenced Hemingway, Faulkner, Hart Crane, Thomas Wolfe, John Steinbeck, Nathaneel West “He was better at teaching other writers than writing his own novel” 2.His Subject life in small towns in Midwestern America “ugliness of life, the strange beauty of life…”(Anderson) 3.His Characters grotesque, eccentric, low people with their motivations and frustrations e.g. “Paper Pills”, “Mother” from his Winesburg, Ohio 4.His Themes frustrations, failures, sense of isolation, of loss, alienation, loneliness, lack of love and understanding, fear 5.Unique Features 1) psychological and emotional aspect of American small town life in terms of Freud’s theories; intensity of feelings; 2) epiphany: moments of self-understanding: “a gift for pouring life into a moment”(Malcolm Cowley) 6.His style Simple, use of the vernacular; He has the power of colloquial speech of Twain and “pure and beautiful prose” of Gertrude Stein II. The Triumph of the Egg 1. Structure 2. Characters 3. Themes 4. Meanings of the Title 5. Style 6. Appreciate some paragraphs 1) Before Marriage: cheerful, kindly man; no trying After Marriage: ambitious, getting up in the world (para.1-3) 2) Their Business: (1) Chicken Raising (para.4-11) Chickens are born out of the eggs, and will suffer many diseases, most of which are dead. Even some of them struggle through to maturity, they die in the end. The dreadful cycle is thus made complete. The Consequence: Father fails and egg wins. 1. Structure——Contrast (2) Restaurant Business (para.12-29) Grotesque Chickens Collection: wonder, growing rich by exhibiting them. He is a rock on the subject of his treasure. Valuable. Wonderful . The consequence: Only to make his guest ill. Egg tricks: make an