an’ live off the fat a’ the lan’
by eggnoize
Posted to WritersAndGenres on 2001-07-25 15:56:00
Parent message is 27539
Steinbeck was a distinctly “American” writer. All his books are about American people of all conditions. But of course i wouldn’t find him so important and special if that’s all he was. His writing was aiming towards a definite transcendence, and when transcendence is the goal, the setting and condition can be anywhere. I remember reading a quote from James Joyce explaining that though he wrote his stories about Dublin, Dublin represented anywhere in the universe. The ultimate core behind all characters and all humans is what Steinbeck aimed at, through his writing about the places he knew and the people he observed. At least that’s what his writing shows me.
There are definite statements about America and American’s in his writing. But his view reached beyond that i believe. I read all his books while quite young (and i’m only turning 18 in a few months), so maybe there is something i missed in them. I certainly have a few more books to go and plenty to re-read.