Major Issues
Author Links
Essay Questions

Major Issues

John Steinbeck is considered the preeminent fictional chronicler of the American Great Depression of the 1930s. His sympathetic and dignified portrayal of working class laborers has received much critical attention. Steinbeck’s characters, critics note, must struggle against overwhelming forces not only for their physical survival, but also to maintain their essential humanity. Scholars have identified the conflict between harsh realism and romantic idealism as a common theme in Steinbeck’s fiction, often depicted through pastoral and garden imagery. Other critics have focused on the regionalist elements of Steinbeck’s fictionalization of Salinas, California. Steinbeck’s short fiction has been compared to that of Sherwood Anderson in a number of scholarly studies.

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John Steinbeck: 1902-1968
This bio-critical introduction notes important moments in Steinbeck’s life and literary career.

The Long Valley
A brief overview of the 1937 collection in which "Chrysanthemums" was published, with a summary of each story.

Nobel Prize
Steinbeck’s 1962 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech.

Fiction and nonfiction
A primary Steinbeck bibliography and selected secondary criticism (but no links).

Advice for Beginning Writers
Steinbeck’s advice to young writers, as he looks back at his life at age 61.