The World Of Subversion And Renewal-Approaching The Carnivalized Characteristics In Winesburg, Ohio

Sherwood Anderson(1876-1941) is a prominent figure in the American literature who also receives the admiration from Earnest Hemingway and William Faulkner. His masterpiece Winesburg, Ohio was created in the social transitional period of industrial ascendancy, describing a group of “grotesques” with peculiar behaviors. This thesis will apply Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin’s carnival theory to explore the carnivalistic characteristics in Winesburg, Ohio; the whole paper will probe into the narrative art of Winesburg, Ohio from carnival crowning-decrowning ritual and carnival laughter; besides, a carnival deconstructive-constructive model will be applied to inquire into the thematic spirit of this work. Through relating Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio with Bakhtin’s carnival theory, this masterpiece is proved to be definitely a highly-carnivalized literature work either in its narrative art or thematic spirit. Interpreting Winesburg, Ohio from carnival perspective both enhances the range and quality of its narrative art to a culture level and leads readers have a deeper understanding of its thematic spirit, providing a carnival thinking not only on Anderson’ s Winesburg, Ohio but also his other works in academic circle.