The Triumph of the Egg

The Triumph of the Egg (full title: The Triumph of the Egg: A Book of Impressions from American Life in Tales and Poems) is a 1921 short story collection by the American author Sherwood Anderson. It was Anderson's third book to be published by B.W. Huebsch and his second collection after the successful short story cycle Winesburg, Ohio. The book contains 15 stories preceded by photographs of seven clay sculptures by Anderson's wife at the time, sculptor Tennessee Mitchell, that were inspired by characters in the book. The book was the source of inspiration for a sculpture under the same name in the

1st edition cover The Triumph of the Egg

Smithsonian Museum.

Summary:

"The Egg by Sherwood Anderson is a story narrated by a young boy about the influence of eggs on his fathee. From before the narrator was born, his father worked at a chicken farm where he raised chickens from burth to death, he goes on to describe the depressing cycle of lite and death that raising chickens involves. The narrator's father seems to be an emotional, detail-oriented, and materialistic person, as he had the idiosyncrasy of saving the bodies of mutated chicks. The bulk of the story has a recount of an event where his father, unable to cvercome his social awkwardness, made a fool of himself in front of a guest by trying too hard to impress him, and instead, failing all his egg-related tricks

"The Boarding House" by James Joyce features Mrs. Mooney, the fortner daughter of a butcher who was abused by her husband and left his to start a boarding house. While at the boarding house, she noticed a middle aged man who was building a wlatiomhip with her daughter Pally. She did not intervene at first, but when the time came, she decided to speak with the man and demand that he folloses through with marriage. At first. Polly is frightened, but eventually, has positive visions of her future.

"Marriage a la Mode" by Katherine Mamfield tells a story of the couple William and Isabel, babel is dissatisfied with Willian because they lived in a small, stuified up house and had a nanny that was ruining their children. Isabel begins to think of William as dull, and says bad things about him with her friends. The following day, Isabel receives a letter from William that she shars with her friends, but than feels ashamed for doing so and decides to write a letter back to William later.

"Cruel and Barbarinas Treatment 00 by Mary McCarthy sells the story of a married woman who decides to engage in extramarital affairs She demonstrates her skill of manipulating her hushand, lover, and friends by calculating how others will petcrive her. She also coroiders all the positive and negative consequences of each of ber potential decisions, Eventually, she has a divorce with her hushand and pursues a relationship with the Young Man to enhance her le

"DDA Spinster's Tale 10 by Reues Taylor is narrated by Eluabseth, a woman who tells of the relationship she had with her brother and

drunkard Mr. Speed For Elizabeth, Mr. Speed was a curious and frightening character that she claimed she would eventually build the

courage to confront. Later on in the recount, she explains that she has gotten more sued to Mr. Speed with the encouragement of her father,

but is still fearful. One day, Mr. Speed is accidently let into Elizabeths house dar to a case of mistaken identity, and Elizabeth reacts by calling the police

Contents

The volume includes the following stories:

• "The Dumb Man"
• "I Want to Know Why"
• "Seeds"
• "The Other Woman"
• "The Egg"
• "Unlighted Lamps"
• "Senility"
• "The Man in the Brown Coat"
• "Brothers"
• "The Door of the Trap"
• "The New Englander"
• "War"
• "Motherhood"
• "Out of Nowhere Into Nothing"
• "The Man with the Trumpet"

External links

• Full text of The Triumph of the Egg at Hathi Trust