+ All Categories
Home > Documents > John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author Born...

John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author Born...

Date post: 05-Jan-2016
Category:
Upload: easter-singleton
View: 213 times
Download: 1 times
Share this document with a friend
Popular Tags:
12
John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968
Transcript
Page 1: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

John SteinbeckJohn Steinbeck 1902 – 1968

Page 2: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

A Look at the AuthorA Look at the AuthorBorn February 27th in 1902 in

Salinas, California, the 3rd of 4 children, and only son

During childhood, Steinbeck learned to appreciate his surroundings, and loved the Salinas countryside and the nearby Pacific Ocean

Steinbeck worked during his summers as a hired hand in nearby ranches

Page 3: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

At the age of 14 he decided to be a writer and spent a lot of time writing in his room.

1919-1925 Steinbeck attended Stanford University to please his parents, but only chose courses that interested him, classical and British literature, writing courses and the odd science course.

However, Steinbeck did not receive a degree because he would drop in and out of school, sometimes to work with migrant and bindlestiffs on California ranches

Page 4: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

Early CareerEarly Career

Before his career as a writer began, Steinbeck worked as a construction labourer and a caretaker.

First novel Cup of Gold published in 1929. Of Mice and Men published in 1937. Most famous novel, The Grapes of Wrath, 1939.

Many books, such as East of Eden, became films.

Page 5: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

During the late 1920s and 1930s, During the late 1920s and 1930s, Steinbeck concentrated on writing and Steinbeck concentrated on writing and wrote several novels set in California.wrote several novels set in California.

Page 6: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

The Fields of Salinas, The Fields of Salinas, CaliforniaCalifornia

Page 7: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

The Great DepressionThe Great Depression

■October 29, 1929, “Black Tuesday.” Stock market crash signalled the start of the Great Depression.

■Unemployment rose from around 3% in 1929 to over 26% by 1934.

■Poor suffered terribly; an estimated 34 million men, women and children had no income at all.

■The background to many of Steinbeck’s novels.

Page 8: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

The Political ContextThe Political Context

John Steinbeck’s writing is at times deeply political. He felt a strong connection with the underdog, and in his work he suggested ways that society could improve the lot of migrant workers such as the Okies.

In The Grapes of Wrath, perhaps his most political novel, the Okies try to set up unions, so that they can force the landowners to pay them a decent wage. This political stand is extremely unpopular with the rich landowners, and those who join unions are blacklisted.

Page 9: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

Historical Background to Historical Background to Migrant WorkersMigrant Workers

Before technology created farm machinery, humans had to do a lot of the farm work by hand.

Between the 1880s and the 1930s, thousands of men would travel the countryside in search of work.

Page 10: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

Migrant Workers Migrant Workers Cont’dCont’d

These workers would earn $2.50 or $3.00 a day, plus food and shelter.

During the 1930s, the unemployment rate was high in the U.S., and with so many men searching for work, agencies were set up to send farmworkers to where they were needed.

Page 11: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

The love of a boy for a pony (The Red Pony) A migratory worker and his half-witted friend

(Of Mice and Men) Outcasts (Tortilla Flats and Cannery Row) Scientific works like The Sea of Cortez Anti-Nazi novels like The Moon is Down Most important The Grapes of Wrath of the

terrible westward trek of thousands of Midwestern farmers dispossessed from their Dust Bowl farms by drought and the Great Depression. The Grapes of Wrath, a thesis-novel, born out of anger and a passion for justice, can transcend propaganda to become literature.

Steinbeck’s Touching Steinbeck’s Touching TalesTales

Page 12: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck 1902 – 1968. A Look at the Author A Look at the Author  Born February 27 th in 1902 in Salinas, California, the 3 rd of.

In 1939, The Grapes of Wrath was published and became an instant best-seller; in 1940 it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world. This novel, just like Of Mice and Men, stemmed from his experience working among migrant workers. Steinbeck’s experiences in the fields researching

migrant workers led him to have more compassion for theseworkers, and stirred up his concern for social justice. In 1962 John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize

for Literature.


Recommended