Academic literature on the topic 'Steinbeck John 1902-1968'

"Preferably a writer should die at about 28. Then he has a chance of being discovered. If he lives much longer he can only be revalued. I prefer discovery." So quipped the Nobel prize-winning American novelist John Steinbeck (1902-1968) to the British journalist Herbert Kretzmer in 1965. Steinbeck died at the age of 66, however, as many critics have noted, there is still a lot about him to be discovered. It must be borne in mind that Steinbeck's reputation as the impersonal, objective reporter of striking farm workers and dispossessed migrants, or as the escapist popularizer of primitive folk, has needlessly obscured his intellectual background, imaginative power and artistic methods. Of course, to think of Steinbeck simply as a naive realist in inspiration and a straightforward journalist while his achievement as a writer extends well beyond the modes and methods of traditional realism or documentary presentation is to disregard the complexities of his art. For this reason, new readings and modern critical approaches constantly shed light on new sources of value in Steinbeck's work.

This article attempts to study the idea of the ‘Other’ according to John Dos Passos (1896-1970) and John Steinbeck (1902-1968). The researcher has analyzed the position of the two authors towardsmajor post-war issues. Throughout the article, the researcher highlights numerous social, racial, gender, political, and economic issues that arose as a result of the aftermath of the First World War. The appropriation of the New Historicist theory enablesus to make a historical and literary diagnosis of John Dos Passosand Steinbeck’s fiction. The researcher has endeavored to demonstrate that both Dos Passos and Steinbeck share the same idea, position, and vision towards a fragmented, class-based, ‘white supremacist’ and capitalist post-war America. The following novels have been analyzed from the perspective of racial and gender discrimination for the purpose of the research: Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat (1935), Of Mice and Men (1937), The Grapes of Wrath (1939); and Dos Passos’ trilogy U.S.A (1938).This paper also explores another post-war theme - the proletariat vs. big business struggle.The proletariat theme is an influential part of Dos Passos’ fictional trilogy and Steinbeck’s epic novel The Grapes of Wrath. The researcher endeavours to demonstrate that the two authors share the idea that postwar America is composed of two-nations - ‘proletariat’ and the privileged.

Many studies have been conducted on the novels of accomplished American author John Steinbeck (1902-1968). His Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is about the rural class's profound economic problems during the Great Depression. Steinbeck's interest in the subject is thought to stem from his own real-life experiences as a labourer before becoming an author. On the other hand, despite the fact that Turkish novelist Yaşar Kemal's (1923-2015) novels have been translated into numerous languages, including English, Russian, French, and Italian, there has been little academic study of them. Kemal, like Steinbeck, supported his family by working as an agricultural labourer. Another thing the two novelists have in common is that they both worked as journalists later in their lives. In his novels, Kemal weaves together Anatolian legends and contemporary reality. The Legend of The Thousand Bulls (1976) is about Turkey's last nomadic Turkmen tribes, who are desperately looking for a place to settle and spend the winter. The Grapes of Wrath is about an Oklahoma Dust Bowl family's migration to California and the hardships they face after losing their farm. Both novels contain familiar social criticism elements. From a social realist standpoint, this article compares the novels in terms of new beginnings, migration, representation of state authority, and otherness.

The primary aim of this project is to examine selected works by John Steinbeck, a significant American writer. Through a close contextual and textual analysis of Steinbeck’s Dustbowl Trilogy, which consists of the novels In Dubious Battle, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath, this project will interrogate Steinbeck’s contribution to the silencing of women and their inferior placement in their society and determine the extent to which Steinbeck promotes patriarchal ideology through his literature. A close examination of the modernist era in which these novels were written will provide the method of interrogating Steinbeck’s portrayal of women’s situation during the Depression and determine whether it is a reflection of the reality of women’s situation at that time given the political and environmental factors of the 1930s. The theories of various feminist critics, including Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, Gayle Rubin, Luce Irigaray, Sherry Ortner, and Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar will be explored in order to elucidate the author’s treatment of the female characters and determine the extent to which patriarchal ideology is embedded in his writing. A brief examination of some of his contemporaries, namely F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, will reveal the general treatment of women in male authored modernist literature and determine the extent to which Steinbeck’s female subjugation is representative.

As a writer and thinker, John Steinbeck has often been ridiculed by the academic community as trite and sentimental--someone who appeals to the masses but has little to say on life's "important" issues. This study applies an interdisciplinary approach to three of his later novels--The Pearl, East of Eden, and The Winter of Our Discontent--in order to more accurately assess the quality of Steinbeck's later fiction and to discover what this writer has to say concerning ethics and human nature, particularly the irrational emotions and vices.In concurrence with some of the latest research available, this study reveals that the emotions play a far greater role within the moral realm than previously believed by some philosophers and psychologists. Irrational emotions, such as extreme fear, anger, hatred, and guilt, are often sequential, cyclical, and cumulative in nature and frequently form dynamic combinations which feed on and intensify each other and which may lead to acts of violence or cruelty. Moreover, far from being uncontrollable, these emotions have been shown to have a cognitive dimension which is greatly influenced by upbringing and environment. As indicated in East of Eden, parental neglect and abuse play prominent roles in making certain characters susceptible to their own states of irrationality.The emotions are also primary to the development of more permanent character dispositions, both good and bad. As illustrated in East of Eden's Cathy Ames, a vice such as cruelty is often motivated and enabled by the fear and hatred that frequently form its core. Moreover, the vices themselves seem to be interactive and cumulatively debilitating; just as dishonesty plays a key role in enabling cruelty and loss of integrity, so does a lack of integrity make sense in a morally weak world.Thus, contrary to popular critical opinion, there was no dramatic falling off of quality in Steinbeck's writing, but rather a deliberate change in emphasis from social criticism to morality and from the group to the individual. This study confirms both the importance of what Steinbeck had to say as well as the eloquent and gifted manner in which he said it.
Department of English

Les œuvres de John Steinbeck ne sauraient être réduites à une sèche catégorisation d’ordre esthétique ou idéologique. On les étudie souvent à la croisée de styles bariolés qui s’entremêlent et se heurtent, pour pouvoir appréhender derrière les variétés le substratum de l’œuvre. L’enjeu de cette thèse est d’étudier le lien entre esthétique, politique et éthique en partant non plus des positions politiques de l’écrivain mais des œuvres elles-mêmes, pour analyser les manières dont ces notions peuvent s’éclairer de manière dynamique et progressive au fur et à mesure que l’œuvre se déploie sur quatre décennies. En passant du roman lyrique et picaresque au roman social (particulièrement Tortilla Flat et la trilogie des « Dust Bowl Novels » : In Dubious Battle, Of Mice and Men et The Grapes of Wrath), John Steinbeck laisse se construire dans son œuvre une critique politique fondée sur la remise en cause de la linéarité du discours narratif. Tout comme la forme du discours, le « contenu » narratif véhicule et développe une vision politique qui substitue au Rêve américain et son « Melting Pot » utopique, une structure sociopolitique plus réaliste où l’on perçoit « deux classes » opposées, en vertu du système de domination capitaliste. Steinbeck a re-travaillé le genre romanesque pour y laisser se développer une vision à la fois providentielle, humaniste et anticapitaliste. En mettant à l’épreuve les notions d’intrigue, de protagoniste (ou « héros ») et de temporalité, il a inscrit cette critique politique au cœur même de l’écriture, invitant ses lecteurs à porter un nouveau regard sur ses œuvres des années 1930-50, davantage « politiques », et sur les liens entre modernisme, engagement politique et écologie. Même si certains de ses ouvrages sont radicalement contestataires, il n’en demeure pas moins qu’il a eu recours constamment au mythe des origines. Ce recours aux pensées mythiques des textes américains fondateurs joue un rôle de trait d’union lui permettant de déconstruire littérairement les discours politiques dominateurs de sa société
John Steinbeck’s works cannot be reduced to a strict aesthetic or ideological categorization. They are often studied at the crossroads of colourful styles that intermingle and clash, in order to grasp the substratum of the work behind its varieties. The challenge of this thesis is to study the link between aesthetics, politics and ethics, starting not from the writer's political positions but from the works themselves, in order to analyze the ways in which these notions can be dynamically and progressively highlighted as the work unfolds over four decades. Moving from the lyrical and picaresque novel to the social novel (particularly Tortilla Flat and the Dust Bowl Novels trilogy: In Dubious Battle, Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath), John Steinbeck makes it possible for a political critique to be constructed in his work based on a questioning of the linearity of narrative discourse. Like the form of the discourse, the narrative “content” conveys and develops a political vision that substitutes for the American Dream and its utopian “Melting Pot” a more realistic sociopolitical structure in which one perceives “two opposing classes”, by virtue of the system of capitalist domination. Steinbeck reworked the novel genre to develop a providential, humanist and anti-capitalist vision. By testing the notions of plot, protagonist (or “hero”) and temporality, he placed this political critique at the very heart of the writing process, inviting readers to take a fresh look at his more “political” works of the 1930s and 1950s, and at the links between modernism, political engagement and ecology. Although some of his works are radically contested, he has made constant use of the myth of origins. This recourse to the mythical thoughts of the founding American texts acts as a hyphen allowing him to deconstruct literarily the dominant political discourses of his society

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Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)
Temos no filme Viva Zapata! (1952) o eixo central desta pesquisa, através da qual buscamos iluminar as relações entre cinema, cultura e política norte-americana dos anos cinqüenta, além de questionar como este cinema forma uma visão sobre o outro – nesse caso, os mexicanos. Produzido e lançado nos Estados Unidos em meio ao macartismo – oposição e perseguição aos comunistas, decorrente da Guerra Fria – é dirigido pelo cineasta Elia Kazan e tem como roteirista John Steinbeck, importante romancista norte-americano. Suas temáticas dialogam com a cultura e a política da época, os quais buscamos resgatar através deste estudo. Ainda, sendo um filme norte-americano sobre o México, nos possibilita questionar como este país e seu povo são representados – e ir além, analisando como se formam as visões dos outros no imaginário norte-americano, visão esta que se reflete através de manifestações culturais, como o cinema
The film Viva Zapata! (1952) is the central axis of the present study, through which we tried to highlight the relationships among North American cinema, culture and politics in the 1950s, as well as to question how this cinema forms the view about the other – in this case, the Mexicans. Produced and launched in the United States during McCarthyism – opposition and persecution to communists due to Cold War –, that film was directed by the filmmaker Elia Kazan and had as writer John Steinbeck, an important North American novelist. Its themes dialogue with the culture and the politics of that period, which we tried to rescue through this study. In addition, it is a North-American film about Mexico, which allows us to question how this country and its people are represented – as well as to analyze how the view about the others is formed in the North American imagination, since this view is reflected through cultural manifestations such as cinema

La spécificité et l'originalité des réécritures du mythe de Caïn dans les romans étudiés seront mieux saisies à l'issue d'un panorama diachronique qui, partant du récit biblique (Genèse IV), s'arrêtera sur ses principales lectures exégétiques, puis sur les grandes articulations de son histoire littéraire. Le Caïn du 20e est inséparable de la crise du sujet et des valeurs, des fractures historiques à l'oeuvre dans la modernité. La bipartition traditionnelle qui opposait Caïn et Abel selon un système axiologique radical, mais susceptible de se retourner, est frappée d'hybridité, vouée à l'ouverture et à la mobilité. L'équivocité que partagent les avatars des deux frères bibliques s'accompagne de l'exploration de la richesse d'un parcours caïnique tendu entre meurtre et création. L'ambiguïté de cet inténaire est idéale pour figurer le travail du négatif, la fécondité des déchirures, le processus de séparation et d'individuation autant d'éléments formulés par les penseurs de la modernité. Homo Faber, Caïn le civilisateur épouse la crise de la raison, ses risques de dérive vers la barbarie technicienne. Mais, père des artistes, il révèle aussi l'opposition entre monde hétéroclite de la vie et monde harmonieux de l'art, et la fonction d'antidote dévolue à celui-ci par une modernité qui cherche à unifier ses multiples fractures. Figure tragique mais porteuse d'espoir, le nouveau Caïn est placé au centre du processus dialectique de la création littéraire

This thesis explores the relationship between differing interpretation of the California Dream and the narrative strategies through while [sic] they are expressed in three California labor novels during three different decades of California literature.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of English at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 1998.
At the centre of this dissertation is the paradox to be found in the fact that although John Steinbeck was the recipient of some of the highest accolades ever to be bestowed upon a writer during this century, his work - and even his person - have, over the years, been subjected to severe attacks from sometimes impercipient critics. !n the thirties, he was branded as a California regionalist of some distinction, but the general consensus among the critics seemed to be that he was unlikely to achieve greatness due to major artistic flaws that were perceived to be present in his work. These flaws included his purported indecency, vulgarity, sexual licence and demagoguery. Reverse reasoning, by which his 'weaker, later works' (especially post World War 11) are compared unfavourably with 'the better earlier ones' of the thirties, is also dealt with. Other aspects that receive attention are his world-view (which is often misunderstood and compared unfavourably with that of other authors) and the fact that his deceptively lucid works are easy to read and therefore often underrated by critics as well as careless readers. Although criticism which centres upon ethical, sociological and political issues instead of artistic merit, is briefly dealt with, emphasis is placed on three elements that are intrinsic to Steinbeck's fiction and their role in the acceptance of his work. These elements, namely allegory/myth, non-teleological thinking and his approach to religion, are dealt with in general terms but also with particular reference to his novel To a God Unknown. To a God Unknown was specifically chosen as a focus for this study because it is believed that it reveals many of the 'flaws' that Steinbeck has been criticised for. It is also considered to be of seminal importance in his canon and therefore a harbinger of later works. As such it reveals a great deal about the author's outlook on life, early influences on his work, theoretical and practical approaches to his writing, and the various techniques employed to achieve his goals. The novel is also a typical example of one of Steinbeck's works of fiction that enjoys a wide and continued readership in spite of the adverse criticism that attended its appearance. This anomaly is central to the study. Virtually all of the works in Steinbeck's canon as well as the reviews and criticisms of internationally recognised Steinbeck scholars and critics collectively served as a 'pool of reference' in the compilation of this dissertation. Other sources included works on American and world literature and history; philosophy; psychology; biography; mythology; theology, and other aspects that have a bearing upon the subject matter. Extensive use was made of the excellent facilities and services provided by the university library as well as by various institutions and individuals on the Internet. The conclusion is reached that it is essential to take cognisance of the Oriental aspect of the Transcendentalist influence on Steinbeck's world-view in order to understand the confluence of apparently irreconcilable philosophical and mythological anomalies in Steinbeck's fiction.

Le présent mémoire porte sur le rôle de Steinbeck en tant qu'inteIlectuel libéral de gauche au cours de la dernière décennie de sa vie, soit les années 1960. Steinbeck est un écrivain américain qui vantait la ténacité et le courage du «petit peuple», ces opprimés économiques et sociaux, dans des écrits des années 1930, comme The Grapes of Wrath. Après avoir préalablement défini Steinbeck comme un intellectuel du «New Deal» durant la crise économique des années 1930 et avoir traité de ses actions et de ses écrits dans la période de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, puis dans la période de l'après-guerre, ce mémoire s'étend sur le rôle de Steinbeck dans les années 1960. L'originalité de cette étude réside dans le fait que nous avons ciblé une période moins connue de Steinbeck, car celle-ci est vue comme un déclin dans la carrière de l'écrivain par plusieurs critiques. En effet, notre recherche nous a amené à remettre en question la thèse de nombreux critiques qui décrivent Steinbeck comme un néo-conservateur ou un conformiste désengagé vers la fin de sa vie. Contrairement à cette idée répandue, nous montrons que Steinbeck ne doit aucunement être mis de côté après 1960. Non seulement est-il resté toujours très actif au cours de cette période, sinon plus qu'avant, mais à l'aide de ses écrits et ses interventions en politique, Steinbeck a eu un impact sans précédent quant à la poursuite du libéralisme au cours de cette décennie. D'après nous, ce lauréat du prix Nobel voulait une poursuite du «New Deal», tout comme d'autres libéraux de l'époque. De fait, l'écrivain a joué un rôle majeur dans la dénonciation de l'immoralité qui sévissait dans la nation. Pour y remédier, Steinbeck se rapprocha, comme auparavant, de présidents et soutint leurs réformes. D'après lui, le président était un leader capable de redonner une direction à la nation en crise. De plus, il soutint ardemment le mouvement des droits civiques, bien qu'il ait été hostile au mouvement des jeunes et à la Nouvelle Gauche. Selon Steinbeck, le mouvement noir non violent voulait justement mettre fin au plus grand problème moral du pays, c'est-à-dire l'inégalité raciale. Steinbeck appuyait d'ailleurs de diverses façons des leaders noirs, tel que Martin Luther King, Jr. Comme le président, de par leurs actions héroïques, les Noirs pouvaient redonner un sens moral à la nation. Enfin, il fut un grand partisan d'une lutte anticommuniste dans le monde entier, comme ce fut le cas au Viêt-nam. Toutefois, il n'était aucunement motivé par un anticommunisme aveugle, mais visait plutôt une lutte contre l'immoralité aux États-Unis et la fin de la domination des communistes au Viêt-nam grâce à l'envoi de soldats courageux. Bref, ce grand intérêt de sa part pour améliorer la vie de nombreux Américains et aussi d'opprimés à l'extérieur du pays montre que l'historiographie de Steinbeck donnait, jusqu'à présent, une fausse réalité à propos de l'écrivain. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Guerre du Viêt-Nam, Intellectuels libéraux, John F. Kennedy, John Steinbeck, Lyndon B. Johnson, Mouvements sociaux, «New Deal».