The Essential Criticism of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

by Michael J. Meyer

Overview

First published in 1937, Of Mice and Men has been a staple of American literature ever since. Divided by decade, The Essential Criticism of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men provides an overview of criticism over the 70 years the book has been in print. Michael J. Meyer has assembled significant articles and book excerpts from critics and reviewers, citing the early book reviews and highlighting some of the most significant essays.

While not all critical studies are included, those assessments not present in the text are evaluated by summaries and their bibliographic citations are given. The essays express various critical approaches, including those that criticize the book and examine what some consider the book's flaws. Ideal for research work at all levels, this volume collects in one place the most significant contributions to the study of the novel, making it a welcome addition to the canon of Steinbeck criticism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810867338
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/23/2009
Pages:	364
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Michael J. Meyer, now retired, was an adjunct professor of English at DePaul University and Northeastern Illinois University. He is the coeditor of A John Steinbeck Encyclopedia (2006) and author of The John Steinbeck Bibliography, 1996-2006 (Scarecrow, 2008).

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Editor's Note xv

Part 1 The 1930s 1

Chapter 1 Book Reviews 3

Part 2 The 1940s And 1950s 31

Chapter 2 The Wide World of John Steinbeck Chapter 8 Peter Lisca 35

Part 3 The 1960s And 1970s 45

Chapter 3 John Steinbeck's Parable of the Curse of Cain William Goldhurst 49

Chapter 4 Of George and Lennie and Curley's Wife: Sweet Violence in Steinbeck's Eden Mark Spilka 62

Chapter 5 The Novels of John Steinbeck, Excerpt from Chapter 5 Howard Levant 73

Chapter 6 Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (Novel) (1937) John F. Slater 86

Part 4 The 1980s 95

Chapter 7 A Game of Cards in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Michael W. Shurgot 97

Chapter 8 John Steinbeck's Fiction: The Aesthetics of the Road Taken: "Of Mice and Men" (Chapter 4) John Timmerman 104

Part 5 The 1990s 111

Chapter 9 A Historical Introduction to Of Mice and Men Anne Loftis 115

Chapter 10 Manhood Beset: Misogyny in Of Mice and Men Jean Emery 125

Chapter 11 Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937) Charlotte Hadella 134

Chapter 12 Of Mice and Men: Steinbeck's Speculations in Manhood Leland S. Person Jr. 150

Chapter 13 Queer Borders: Figures from the 1930s for U.S.-Canadian Relations Caren Irr 158

Part 6 Since 2000 185

Chapter 14 Of Mice and Men: A Story of Innocence Retained Marilyn Chandler McEntyre 187

Chapter 15 Of Mice and Men: Creating and Re-Creating Curley's Wife Mimi Reisel Gladstein 203

Chapter 16 Deadly Kids, Stinking Dogs, and Heroes: The Best Laid Plans in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Louis Owens 220

Chapter 17 Reading the Character of Crooks in Of Mice and Men: A Black Writer's Perspective Charles Johnson 236

Part 7 NewEssays 251

Chapter 18 Reduced to Nothing: Race, Lynching, and Erasure in the Theater Revision of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Daniel Griesbach 253

Chapter 19 Emotion Recollected in Tranquility: A Context for Romanticism in Of Mice and Men Barbara A. Heavilin 276

Chapter 20 One Is the Loneliest Number: Steinbeck's Paradoxical Attraction and Repulsion to Isolation/Solitude Michael J. Meyer 290

Chapter 21 Musical Intertextuality in Action: A Directed Reading of Of Mice and Men Christian Goering Katherine Collier Scott Koenig J. Olive O'Berski Stephanie Pierce Kelly Riley 307

Appendix: Online Sites for Teaching Of Mice and Men 331

Index 333

About the Editor and Contributors 343