How Sherwood Anderson emerged as a short story writer in American Literature

Sherwood Anderson was a prolific writer of Short Stories in American Literature. The contribution of Sherwood Anderson to this phenomenal development was by no means ordinary, although critical opinion, as it could be expected, has not been uniform in regarding the precise nature and extent of his influence on other writers of short stories among his immediate contemporaries and those of the newer generations. Extreme views apart, what seems certain is that Anderson was a sort of ‘trail blazer’ who pioneered many changes in the art of the American short story in theme, technique, form and content. The Chicago Renaissance was a movement of liberation, which was to have lasting effects on American literature. Anderson became imbued with its aesthetic atmosphere and its spirit of personal and artistic liberation. A heightened sensitiveness to contemporary life in America and openness to the myriad experiences of life became central to all his writings. It was indeed a challenging task to transform this material into satisfying fictional art.