Reading Steinbeck: 'of Mice and Men' and 'the Grapes of Wrath'

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This is a generously contextualized and uncompromisingly objective commentary on two of Steinbeck's most widely read novels. Contemporary circumstance is particularly relevant to these classic books - Of Mice and Men is a timely warning about fascism, and The Grapes of Wrath is an emblem for the oppressed in Depression-era America - so a significant proportion of this study is given over to the framing of social, economic and political context. It includes a survey of the more prominent critical approaches to the texts, and particular emphasis is given to the importance of Steinbeck's relationship to Modernism. It also offers an insightful, dialogic reading of the books that is both accessible and clearly signposted throughout. "This is an informed, interesting and useful guide to Steinbeck's two most famous and widely studied works. It sets them concisely in their biographical, historical, social and political contexts, offers a range of insights into their narrative techniques, style, characterization and themes, and surveys key critical perspectives. The guide will be of benefit to A Level and undergraduate students, providing perspectives they can fruitfully employ in seminar discussions, presentations, essays and examinations." -- Nicholas Tredell (Consultant Editor of Palgrave Macmillan's Readers' Guides to Essential Criticism)