Customer Reviews

Winesburg, Ohio: Text and Criticism (Critical Library, Viking)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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This book from 1919 really deserves to be read more often and by more people. It is a collection of 23 linked short stories, and is prefaced by a very strange frame narration called "The Book of the Grotesque." Anderson's basic premise is that any time a person clings to a notion of truth, he or she becomes grotesque. This is an interesting rallying cry for cultural relativism, particularly given the time period in which it was written. The stories themselves, which tend to have a quiet, almost meditative tone reflective of small town life in the midwest, are subtle. They usually concern only one or two people in the town of Winesburg, and usually depict a point where the character goes wrong, usually because of stubbornly clinging to a misguided belief or idea. The stories are further linked by the young man George Willard, who for a while serves as the town's newspaper reporter. Highly recommended!

When I discovered this book, I was already writing a story cycle of my own, The Acorn Stories. Winesburg, Ohio became a strong influence on that book, and also led me to write New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio. In Sherwood Anderson's acclaimed story cycle, a small town finds itself entering the twentieth century with loneliness and confusion. The same industrialism that Anderson would explore so well in his novel Poor White also asserts itself constantly here, turning a beautiful landscape into a sometimes desecrated one.

The young reporter George Willard appears in most of the stories, providing a connection for people who feel they lack connection and a voice for people who feel they lack a voice. Though many readers consider this book a bleak and disjointed novel, I consider it a collection of stories that interrelate in surprising, often brilliant ways. As for the bleak part, please also look at the many moments of comfort, the many sparks of inspiration.

I eventually lost track of how many times I read Winesburg, Ohio. I just know I'll read it again.

I'm not sure how this happened, but it's kind of crazy. I previously ordered "The Egg and Other Stories" and throughly enjoyed it. I thought "Winesburg Ohio" would be a good follow-up. When I received the book, I paged through and thought it was odd that there was a lot of poetry in the book. My understanding was that Winesburg was a collection of short stories...Anyway, I just got back to the book and found out that it's really a book of toasts by Jennifer Conover published by New American Library. However, the cover is clearly the one for "Winesburg Ohio." And the great part is that the book is repeated so the number of pages fits in the cover.

I'd return it, but it's pretty cool. Maybe I'll auction it on ebay. If anyone knows how this could happen, let me know.

+3 stars for the novelty; -2 stars because I still have to order the book (it won't be Penguin this time)