Citizen Steinbeck: Giving Voice to the People

289 Pages·2016·1.884 MB·English

by  Robert McParland

CITIZEN STEINBECK
Contemporary American Literature
Series Editor: Bob Batchelor
Gatsby:TheCulturalHistoryoftheGreatAmericanNovel,byBobBatchelor,2013.
MichaelChabon’sAmerica:MagicalWords,SecretWorlds,andSacredSpaces,editedby
JesseKavadloandBobBatchelor,2014.
HypermasculinitiesintheContemporaryNovel:CormacMcCarthy,ToniMorrison,and
JamesBaldwin,byJosefBenson,2014.
StephenKing’sContemporaryClassics:ReflectionsontheModernMasterofHorror,
editedbyPhilipL.SimpsonandPatrickMcAleer,2015.
BeyondGatsby:HowFitzgerald,Hemingway,andWritersofthe1920sShapedAmerican
Culture,byRobertMcParland,2015.
AgingMasculinityintheAmericanNovel,byAlexHobbs,2016.
JamesJones:TheLimitsofEternity,byTonyJ.Williams,2016.
CitizenSteinbeck:GivingVoicetothePeople,byRobertMcParland,2016.
CITIZEN STEINBECK
Giving Voice to the People
Robert McParland
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
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Names:McParland,Robert,author.
Title:CitizenSteinbeck:givingvoicetothepeople/RobertMcParland.
Description:Lanham,Maryland:Rowman&Littlefield,[2016]|Series:ContemporaryAmerican
Literature|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2016012052(print)|LCCN2016025457(ebook)|ISBN9781442268302(hard-
back:alk.paper)|ISBN9781442268319(electronic)
Subjects:LCSH:Steinbeck,John,1902–1968—Influence.|Steinbeck,John,1902–1968—Criticism
andinterpretation.
Classification:LCCPS3537.T3234Z73242016(print)|LCCPS3537.T3234(ebook)|DDC813/
.52—dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016012052
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PrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
1 TheLifeofJohnSteinbeck 1
2 ASenseofPlace:Steinbeck’sEarlyFiction 27
3 InDubiousBattle 43
4 OfMiceandMen 59
5 TheGrapesofWrath 75
6 SeaofCortez 101
7 SteinbeckatWar 117
8 TheShorterNovels 133
9 EastofEden 159
10 AmericaandAmericans:Steinbeckinthe1960s 173
Notes 199
Bibliography 239
Index 251
AbouttheAuthor 259
v

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
T
hegoalofthisbookistointroducereaderstotheextraordinaryvariety
intheworksofJohnSteinbeckandtohiscommitmentofcareforhuman-
ity and his care for the art of writing. This study of Steinbeck owes a
considerabledebttotheworkofmanySteinbeckscholarsandteachersof
Steinbeck’swritings.Iwritewithappreciationforthecontinuingworkof
the Steinbeck Center. I am thankful for access to collections of the J.
Pierpont Morgan Library and the New York Public Library and to the
Steinbeck collection at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Among
the Steinbeck scholars whose work informs these pages are Jackson J.
Benson, Susan Shillinglaw, Barbara Heavilin, Robert DeMott, John Dit-
sky, Warren French, John Timmerman, Tetsumaro Hayashi, Mimi Glad-
stein, Louis Owens, Donald Coers, Jay Parini, Susan Beegel, Danica
Cerce, Henry Veggian, Michael J. Meyer, Brian Railsback, Luchen Li,
RoyS.Simmonds,andmanyothers.Iamparticularlyindebtedtothelate
Stephen K. George for his suggestions concerning new directions in
Steinbeck studies. My thanks go to Bob Batchelor and Stephen Ryan,
who have expertly guided the Contemporary American Literature series.
This book also owes a debt to all of the teachers who have taught Stein-
beck’s stories, the often unsung heroes who work daily to expand our
thinking,to improveourreading, andto helpus to realize ourvoicesand
thoughtsin writing. This bookis dedicated to thesethoughtfultenders of
thehumanspirit.
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