Trends in the Study of the Sinclair Lewis Phenomenon in World Literary Studies

This study reviews scholarly research on the works and literary heritage of Sinclair Lewis. Its main aim is to analyze the artistic features of S.Lewis’s writings, his socio-critical views, and academic studies devoted to his work. The study also highlights his contribution to American realism and the representation of social issues in his novels.
The objectives include examining scholarly sources on S.Lewis’s life and literary activity, identifying the central ideas of his major novels, comparing critical interpretations, and determining the significance of his works in world literature. Analytical, comparative-typological, and descriptive methods were employed. Through these approaches, social issues, human character, and the spiritual life of American society portrayed in novels such as Main Street, Babbitt, and Arrowsmith were examined. Biographical, psychobiographical, historical-comparative, psychological, psychoanalytic, intertextual, and descriptive-analytical methods were also used in the study of his literary heritage.
Research on S.Lewis’s works can be divided into three major groups. The first focuses on his social mastery, including his portrayal of historical reality, journalism, socio-political ideas, and anthropological, cultural, and philosophical views. The second examines his poetic and artistic mastery, emphasizing his realism, satire, characterization, and compositional techniques in different literary genres. The third includes biographical and bibliographical studies dedicated to his life and works. The existence of more than ten biographies devoted to Lewis highlights the lasting scholarly interest in his literary legacy.
The findings show that S.Lewis was one of the leading writers who realistically depicted the social problems of his time. His works reveal issues such as materialism, spiritual crisis, and individual freedom in American society. They continue to serve as an important subject of research in both American and world literary studies.