The result of a worldwide effort to assess both the current state of critical understanding of John Steinbeck’s works and the extent of his cultural influence
As a writer who, beginning in the 1930s, illuminated the lives of ordinary people, Steinbeck came to be the conscience of America. He witnessed and recorded with clarity much of the political and social upheaval of the 20th century: The Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and Vietnam. Yet his place in the literary canon of American literature has been much debated and often dismissed by academics. Beyond Boundaries argues persuasively for Steinbeck's relevance, offering a fuller, more nuanced and international appreciation of the popular Nobel laureate and his works.
Topics treated in these wide-ranging essays include the historical and literary contexts and the artistic influence of the eminent novelist; the reception and translation of Steinbeck works outside the United States; Steinbeck’s worldview, his social vision, and his treatment of poverty, of self, and of patriotism; influence on Native American writers; the centrality of the archetypal feminine throughout his fiction; and the author's lifelong interest in science and philosophy.
International in scope, this timely study reevaluates the enduring and evolving legacy of one of America's most significant writers.
Contents
Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Rereading John Steinbeck Susan Shillinglaw and Kevin Hearle 1
I. Beyond Boundaries
1. Come Back to the Boxcar, Leslie Honey: Or, Don’t Cry For Me, Madonna, Just Pass the Milk: Steinbeck and Sentimentality John Seelye 11
2. The Ghost of Tom Joad: Steinbeck’s Legacy in the Songs of Bruce Springsteen Gavin Cologne-Brookes 34
3. Changing Perceptions of Homelessness: John Steinbeck, Carey McWilliams, and California during the 1930s Christina Sheehan Gold 47
4. Steinbeck’s “Self-characters” as 1930s Underdogs Warren G. French 66
5. Propaganda and Persuasion in John Steinbeck’s The Moon Is Down Rodney P. Rice 77
6. Steinbeck’s Influence upon Native American Writers Paul and Charlotte Hadella 87
II. Steinbeck as World Citizen
7. Cannery Row and the Japanese Mentality Hiroshi Kaname 101
8. “Consonant Symphonies”: John Steinbeck in the Indus Valley P. Balaswamy 107
9. Living In(tension)ally: Steinbeck’s The Log from the Sea of Cortez as a Reflection of the Balance Advocated in Lao Tze’s Tao Teh Ching Michael J. Meyer 117
10. Recent Steinbeck Dramatic Adaptations in Japan Hiromasa Takamura 130
11. Staging Tortilla Flat: Steinbeck in a Thai Context Malithat Promathatavedi 140
12. Novella into Play: Burning Bright Kiyoshi Nakayama 151
13. Beyond France: Steinbeck’s The Short Reign of Pippin IV Christine Rucklin 162
14. “The Capacity for Peace—The Culmination of All the Others”: The Internationalism of John Steinbeck and Narrational Technique John Ditsky 171
III. Rereading Steinbeck’s Women
15. Beyond the Boundaries of Sexism: The Archetypal Feminine versus Anima Women in Steinbeck’s Novels Lorelei Cederstrom 189
16. Of Mice and Men: Creating and Re-creating Curley’s Wife Mimi Reisel Gladstein 205
17. Beyond Evil: Cathy and Cal in East of Eden Carol L. Hansen 221
18. Cathy in East of Eden: Indispensable to the Thematic Design Kyoko Ariki 230
IV. Steinbeck’s Science and Ethics
19. These Are American People: The Spectre of Eugenics in Their Blood Is Strong and The Grapes of Wrath Kevin Hearle 243
20. The Global Appeal of Steinbeck’s Science: The Animal-Human Connections James C. Kelley 255
21. The Philosophical Mind of John Steinbeck: Virtue Ethics and His Later Fiction Stephen K. George 266
22. Dreams of an Elegant Universe on Cannery Row Brian Railsback 277
23. The Place We Have Arrived: On Writing/Reading toward Cannery Row Robert DeMott 295
Notes 315
Bibliography 327
Contributors 345
Index 353
