Winesburg. Is it a Novel or not? Megan Beers period 3

           

Last week in AP literature we broke up into groups and separately analyzed certain "stories" out of  Winesburg Ohio. At the end of the week we had a Socratic seminar, which we discussed the controversy of whether or not Winesburg can be considered a novel rather than a collection of short stories. During our seminar we had a pretty split opinions on whether or not this can be called a novel. When discussing this sort of topic I think we need to look at the elements the make a novel a novel and what makes a collection of short stories a collection of short stories.

In my opinion I totally think that Winesburg is a novel, because the strongest and most prominent literary elements of the book support the definition of a novel (a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length and complexity, portraying characters and usually presenting a sequential organization of action and scenes. ~Dictionary.com). One of the strongest points the make Winesburg a novel would be that the stories happen in chronological order and show growth among some of the character. Each of the chapters has a distinct place and lead to the growth of one of the main characters. The book can also be organized into one literary plot structure. The exposition being The Book of the Grotesque because it introduces the main points about how each character will somehow connect with the story. The rising action being introduction chapters to all the main characters such as Hands, Paper Pills, Mother, Nobody Knows, and Adventure. All these chapters set up and support how the main characters grow. Tandy is the climax of the book because it confirms what the main characters are seeking and openly presents one of the main themes of the novel. From then on the characters throughout the book begin to change and begin to find what they are truly seeking, which leads to the conclusion of George Willard leaving Winesburg.

            Another way I chose to view this controversy is to look at the book and find the reasons this book couldn’t’ be considered a collection of short stories. A short story is a work of fiction, usually written in narrative prose, often depicting few characters and concentrating a 'single effect' or mood. Winesburg doesn’t really support the characterization of a collection of short stories because, the book has many changes in mood and mood and has numerous effects rather than having effect on the characters actions. Winesburg doesn’t characterize as a collection of short stories because each of the stories/chapters have some sort of connection with each other making the books dynamics more complex then when intended to in a short story. There are also more than a few characters and each of the characters are important to the novel even the minor ones. The complex plot, the cronological events and the importance to the many character all support Winesburg, Ohio as novel. Its elements also contradict the true meaning of a collection of short stories.