March 2012: John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck (February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968). Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.

Works:
# Cup of Gold (1927)
# The Pastures of Heaven (1932)
# The Red Pony (1933)
# To a God Unknown (1933)
# Tortilla Flat (1935)
# In Dubious Battle (1936)
# Of Mice and Men (1937)
# The Long Valley (1938)
# The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
# The Forgotten Village (1941)
# Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research (1941)
# The Moon Is Down (1942)
# Bombs Away: The Story of a Bomber Team (1942)
# Cannery Row (1945)
# The Wayward Bus (1947)
# The Pearl (1947)
# A Russian Journal (1948)
# Burning Bright (1950)
# The Log from the Sea of Cortez (1951)
# East of Eden (1952)
# Sweet Thursday (1954)
# The Short Reign of Pippin IV: A Fabrication (1957)
# Once There Was A War (1958)
# The Winter of Our Discontent (1961)
# Travels with Charley: In Search of America (1962)
# America and Americans (1966)
# Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters (1969)

(to be updated)

So what are you reading in March? :)

I'll be reading The Grapes of Wrath if I'm not busy with other reads or other things. I'm hoping I'll be able to read it though as I enjoyed reading my first Steinbeck last year, Of Mice and Men.

Yay! This is the kick in the pants I need to finally read Grapes of Wrath, which has been sitting on my TBR shelf forever.

For newbies to Steinbeck, East of Eden is one of my favorite novels.

Yay! I'm doing the Steinbeckathon over in the 75er's group (http://www.librarything.com/topic/130105), so I'll be reading The Winter of Our Discontent. I'm currently reading The Wayward Bus, which is good (so far, only two chapters in!).

Loving his writing.

I have 12 novels by Steinbeck and so far o read one; last year I read Burning bright, which I did not like much.

Two weeks ago, I noticed the Steinbeckathon at the 75er's group, I want to join that. So in March I want to start with some of the shorter novels, such as Cannery Row and The Winter of Our Discontent.

I am still making up my mind whether or not to buy The Wayward Bus which sounded really nice, from members' reviews & The Moon is Down.

I will be reading The Winter of our Discontent with the 75ers also and maybe The Long Valley as well.

033. The acts of King Arthur and his noble knights
Finished reading: 26 February 2012



Cross Posted from my Thread on Club Read 2012

The acts of King Arthur and his noble knights by John Steinbeck is a retelling of Malory's Morte D'Arthur. Steinbeck worked on it, on and off, for about a decade, between 1956 and 1965, before abandoning it. The unfinished manuscript was published posthumously in 1976.

It seems that in the field of literature, retelling has a negative ring. It smacks of abridgement, and simplification, especially for immature or inexperienced readers. In Western literary circles, the text is sacred and untouchable. This, unlike music, where the vitality of the cultural experience is defined by successful reinterpretation, although even here there is a discernable striving for the perfect performance.

John Steinbeck had a vision about the value of retelling. This vision resulted in the creation of so called play-novelettes, such as Burning Bright, Of Mice and Men and The Moon Is Down, which are retellings or rewrites of drama into short novellas, in order to keep them available, and readable in an enjoyable format for the wider public. Many classical plays are forgotten or seldom performed, while very few people enjoy reading drama. The play-novelettes recreate the stories from the drama in prose, which a wider audience may read and appreciate.

A similar didactic vein can be traced in the retelling of The acts of King Arthur and his noble knights. Few people will attempt to read Malory's Morte D'Arthur in the original version. In the introduction, Steinbeck relates how as a child he was mesmerized by the magic of the story and the wonder of the language, and it has been his life-long dream to share that experience render the Morte D'Arthur in a way readily accessible to modern readers.

The Penguin Modern Classics edition includes nearly 70 pages of correspondence between John Steinbeck and his editors about his research, and the development of his ideas with regard to this project. Unfortunately, only Steinbeck's letters are reprinted, omitting the answers from his correspondents, with the exception of a single letter from Chase Horton to Steinbeck, in June 1968. This correspondence makes a very valuable contribution to the book, which could have been enhanced by a critical introduction by the editor.

It becomes clear that Steinbeck invested a great deal of time and effort in this project, aiming to base the work on the best possible source, and working with eminent experts in the field of interpretation of the work. The published work is unfinished, which may partly account for the relative shortness of only 293 pages. Steinbeck also consciously omitted sections from the original text, which he felt did not fit the unity of the work.

The posthumously published version falls apart in two parts, which are stylistically very different. Some reviewers regret this division arguing that the work should have been finished in one style, pointing at the demerit of the other style.

The first five books, Merlin, The Knight with Two Swords, The Wedding of King Arthur, The Death of Merlin and Morgan Le Fay are written in a fairly close translation. This section best preserves the freshness of the original text. Much of the text seems emblematic and repetitive, with a lot of emphasis of events and description, but little or no psychology or character development. The story has a distinctive, medieval feel to it.

The final two books, Gawain, Ewain, and Marhalt and The Noble Tale of Sir Lancelot of the Lake are novelized. In this section, the story is rewritten in Steinbeck's own, American novelistic style. The emphasis in this section is on character development, and experience of the tale. The stylistic divide is so great, that if it weren't for the characters' names, it could have been an entirely different story. The story has a typical, contemporary feel to it.

Some reviewers have expressed their opinion that it was Steinbeck's intention to rewrite the entire work in the contemporary, Twentieth Century novelistic style. The two chapters we have show that it would be a very interesting possibility. While I did enjoy reading these two books, my preference is with the style which remains closer to the original. Perhaps the book remained unfinished because of Steinbeck's indecision in this matter.



Other books I have read by John Steinbeck:
Burning bright

I've recently finished The Winter of our Discontent which I greatly enjoyed, I hadn't read any Steinbeck prior to this and I find myself now looking to pick up some more of his work, or at least I've added some to my growing wish list. This is the great thing about some of the group reads, you get to taste a range of books by authors that you may otherwise never get to or consider reading.

In high school I read Of Mice and Men. I have had East of Eden for several years now, yet I have not read it. Therefore, I will be reading East of Eden this month. (Hopeful I can finish!)

035. The wayward bus
Finished reading: 1 March 2012



In The wayward bus Steinbeck describes how a group of people, a seemingly random sample from society, get along for a day while they are stuck in the middle of nowhere. Through the fabric of their palaver emerges the sense of deep loneliness, sexual repression and a craving for belonging. There are hidden dreams and façades suggesting success, which is longed for but not (yet) attained.

The setting, the so-called middle of nowhere, is quite clearly described, and even to modern readers recognizable as a place quite out of the way, a place one would have little hope for betterment. While some live there, others get stuck temporarily, as their bus makes an unscheduled stop. Causes for the bus to stop may be fate, as with the torrential rain that threatens to wash away the bridge, accident, as with the mechanical failure of the bus, or purposeful mishap, as the driver intentionally steers the bus into the mud, where it gets stuck in a rut.

However, in all cases, the state of being sidetracked seems temporal. The title The wayward bus suggests that the bus is turned away from the main road, or its destination; wayward being the short form for awayward meaning "turned aside" or "turned away," a word Steinbeck may have encountered in his reading of Malory's Le morte d'Arthur, which reads:

And therewithal she turned her from the window, and Sir Beaumains rode awayward from the castle, making great dole, and so he rode here and there and wist not where he rode, till it was dark night.

Likewise, their location, incidentally the starting point of the bus, is named Rebel Corners, a place historically associated with self-imposed laziness and ignorance.

The wayward bus is in its core an optimistic, hopeful story. As the characters are essentially stuck in the rut temporarily, the novel clearly shows the way out. Nicknamed sweetheart, the bus will eventually go on, and find its way back, away from Rebel Corners and on to its destination, and from there to any other place. Everyone may at some stage find themselves stuck at crossroads, and Steinbeck's message is that love and belonging are the path out of the mire.



Other books I have read by John Steinbeck:
Burning bright
The acts of King Arthur and his noble knights

Forgot to pop back in here! I did read The Winter of our Discontent and I did like it overall, but it was only really in Part 2 (the shorter second half) that I was gripped. I found there was far too much setting up in the first half, and I never really warmed to Ethan, the main character.

Finally re-read Grapes of Wrath--I'd read it as a teenager, during my Steinbeck phase, and it had been on my list to re-read for several years. Now I think I may have to dig out some more Steinbeck! East of Eden is definitely my favorite, but Grapes of Wrath is much better than I'd remembered.

I also read The Winter of Our Discontent. The first part of this book is very long, boring at times, and always a bad sign, I never wanted to pick it up. I got through it by reading little bits at a time. It is a build-up to Part 2, which is quite a story and makes the first part worth it. It is a book about moral choices, especially for one man, Ethan Hawley, the descendent of a once prosperous shipping family. A veteran of WWII and now a grocery clerk in a store he once owned, an honest and upright man, he feels pressure from his wife and children to become more prosperous so his wife can hold her head up in the town and his kids can have more things. Pressure also comes from others in their small community from people whose motives are not entirely clear until almost the end of the book. Ethan comes up with a plan, a course of action to achieve this, all the while pondering whether, if he embarks on this slippery slope, will he be able to remain the person he was before. A very interesting and thought-provoking book with a surprising and dramatic ending. The challenge is getting through the first part of the book. The characters are well-drawn and the sense of place is always an important factor in Steinbeck's works.

047. The winter of our discontent
Finished reading: 31 March 2012



The winter of our discontent is the novel which won John Steinbeck the Nobel Prize for Literature. It was also his last novel.

Many readers consider The winter of our discontent a flawed or weak novel, particularly part one, seems to contribute little to the story. It is the author's provenance to express clearly in words what is difficult for others to describe. An adage remembered by many authors is that showing is better than telling. So, within the space of just under 300 pages, The winter of our discontent is a short novel, John Steinbeck shows us how a man starts doubting himself.

What are morals? Are they simply words? (p.186) Ethan Allen Hawley asks himself. Aren't people thinking anymore? Thinking about their actions, their motives, and whether what they do is moral or immoral, honourable or dishonourable. Ethan concludes that it all depends on whether they succeed or not. What a man thinks does not show in his face, and as long as they succeed, they can get away with anything. To most of the world success is never bad. (...) Strength and success—they are above morality, above criticism.(p.187).

At the beginning of the book,the Hawley family is a happy family. Chapter One starts with one of the lightest, happiest dialogues in literature. Ethan is content with his station is life. But his family members are not. Harking to a more glorious past, when Ethan's ancestors were rich, they want to improve their situation, and have a share in the riches of the world. All around Ethan, people are busying themselves making money or fame, in ways which are morally objectionable to Ethan. But as he is constantly battered by others, suggesting how to do such things and get away with it, Ethan starts contemplating and making steps to get on in life. He considers taking kick-backs, he plans and prepares to rob a bank, he betrays his boss and gets entangled into a business deal, where obstruction rather than cooperation reaps him wealth.

However, Ethan's new lifestyle shows in cracks. He is not as happy as before, and the lightness which characterized part one is gone. Doubt first arises, when his boss, Marullo, whom he has betrayed, bequeaths the grocery store to Ethan, honouring his boundless honesty, a thing Ethan would no longer believe of himself, the irony being that this all comes following his betrayal. However, what brings it all home to Ethan is his son's plagiarism in a National Essay Competition. His son receives favourable mention, and is chosen to appear on television, which is eventually cancelled as it is discovered, belatedly, that the essay is largely plagiarized.

Published in 1961, The winter of our discontent describes a process that Steinbeck saw happening in American society; a transition from the ethos of hard-working and honest citizens in the 1940s-1950s, to the greed and money-driven erosion or morals of the 1960s and subsequent era. The fact that so many readers dislike or fail to understand this book, shows how far we have drifted.



Other books I have read by John Steinbeck:
Burning bright
The acts of King Arthur and his noble knights
The wayward bus

Of Mice and Men– John Steinbeck
Audio book performed by Gary Sinise.
5 stars and a ❤

Steinbeck’s novella is taken from an incident in his own background. His emotional closeness to the story is evident in this tragedy.

George Milton and Lennie Small are migrant workers. During the Great Depression, they travel the small towns of California seeking labor where they can find it. Lennie is a giant of a man, who has limited mental capacity and cannot think for himself, but who can perform any labor he’s instructed to do. George is a small, quiet man; he looks out for Lennie, making sure he gets work, housing, food. More importantly George gives voice to their dreams … a little place of their own, where they can have a garden, fruit trees, a cow or goat, some chickens, and just for Lennie, some rabbits. A place where they can live “off the fat of the land” and not be beholden to anyone else, where they can take off to go to a ball game or a fair without seeking permission.

They are hard workers and George is smart enough to have a plan and try to save enough to make their dream come true, but Lennie … Well, Lennie keeps “getting into trouble,” and they keep having to flee one location for the next. When they land on a ranch near Soledad in the fertile Salinas River valley, they are hoping to finally have a place they can stay for a few months. The other men in the bunk house are friendly enough; the boss is hard but fair. But Curley, the boss’s son, is a mean, banty rooster sort of man, always looking to pick a fight. And Curley’s new wife – she is Trouble (with a capital T). Lennie tries his best to follow George’s order to stay away from Curley and his wife. But the reader knows that an altercation is inevitable.

Steinbeck’s genius here is to write a spare story that still tells volumes about the human condition. It is a story of friendship, loyalty, and love.

Sinise’s performance on the audio is flawless … well, maybe he could have raised the pitch of his voice just a tad higher for Curley’s wife. All the hopes, dreams, innocence, anger, pity, love, and sorrow of the characters are in his voice.