Steinbeck's context Flashcards
Why did the land in Oklahoma become overly cultivated?
Because after WW1 there was such a high demand for food, the land in Oklahoma was over cultivated
What led to the migration to California?
The severe dust bowls that caused debt and no foods were farmed
When did the dust bowls begin?
1930- 1940
Why were the migrant camps called Hoovervilles?
Because president hoover was blamed for many of the issues that caused the great depression
When did the great depression begin?
1929
What did Steinbeck do before writing his novel?
He went travelling with a family of migrants on their journey to understand the migrant’s plight
What was Steinbeck’s style of writing called given the subject matter?
Muckraking- the act of exposing socio-political scandals of the time
What literary movement did Steinbeck conform to?
Naturalism and realism
What was special about John Steinbeck’s writing style?
His descriptive language and ability to paint pictures
John Steinbeck made use of the common modernism technique of “stream of consciousness”. What was the effect?
Stream of consciousness allowed his readers to take a step back and merely hear the words and phrases of an omniscient narrator in his intercalary chapters
What is the tone of Steinbeck’s novel?
Passionate and stubborn with a hint of anger
What was the public reaction when Steinbeck released his novel?
The general public was outraged- they believed that Steinbeck had made up this novel, no one believed that such horrific working conditions existed
Why does Steinbeck use a variety of narratives and hop around from character to character?
To show his readers different perspectives and to get them to sympathize with the diverse and huge range of people that are all suffering the same way
adds weight to the amount of suffering that is going on
Steinbeck’s novel was deemed as a piece of naturalistic literature. What were the 3 commonly explored themes of naturalistic literature?
- Poverty- How humans respond in tough situations
- Social environment - how racism and corrupt people can influence others(in a positive way for the Joads who fought back)
- A mix of narratives
Steinbeck also conformed to the modernist period, what aspects of his novel were modernist?
- His narrative, an omniscient narrator
- A variety of narratives to show the degree of suffering from a variety of people
- lots of different perspectives
