Winesburg, Ohio

“The Book of Grotesque” introduces a tension between the concepts of truth and beauty. Consider Anderson’s portrayal of morally reprehensible characters throughout the book and discuss how he reconciles this tension from a humanist perspective. Is it possible to find beauty in terrible people? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.

Anderson uses religion as a recurring motif in the stories “Godliness,” “The Strength of God,” and “Tandy.” Does Anderson present a positive or negative perspective on the influence of religion in the small-town community? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.

“Respectability” includes a commentary on social class and manners in a small town. Discuss Wash Williams’s critique of the upper classes in the context of his own behavior. Compare and contrast Anderson’s perspective on the upper class in “Respectability” with that of the other stories in the collection.

Looking at characters like Enoch Robinson, Tom Foster’s grandmother, and David Hardy, consider the evolution of George Willard’s understanding of Individuality in a Small Town. Would returning to Winesburg invalidate his character development or enrich it?

Apart from the Industrial Revolution, the American Civil War provides the historical backdrop for Anderson’s stories in Winesburg, Ohio. How do the consequences of Ohio’s participation in the Civil War inform Anderson’s description of social, economic, and political life in Winesburg?

Discuss how Anderson uses his stories to create a dichotomy between the town and the city. Based on his depiction of Winesburg, what does he suggest the town offers that the city does not? How does this dichotomy contribute to the book’s thematic exploration of The Tension Between Youth and Experience?

“A Man of Ideas” suggests the possibility that people can find a context in which their least appealing qualities are transformed into their most appealing ones. Choose another story in the book and discuss what its central character could do to live their personal truth in a more likable way, alleviating The Loneliness of One’s Inner World.

Winesburg, Ohio is considered one of the earliest examples of the Modernist short story cycle. Compare and contrast Winesburg against its contemporaries, such as Dubliners (1914) by Irish writer James Joyce. How do their respective strategies illuminate Modernism as a literary trend?