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Ornia State University San Marcos CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS THESIS SIGNATURE PAGE THESIS SUBMITTED FOR PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF ARTS IN LITERATURE AND WRITING STUDIES THESIS TITLE John Steinbeck as an American Modernist AUTHOR: Suzanne Y. Stirling-Saunders DATE OF SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE: April 22. 2005 THE THESIS HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE THESIS COMMITTEE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN LITERATURE AND WRITING STUDIES. Dr. Lance Newman ~-:t~?o/~ THESIS COMMITTEE CHAIR DATE Dr. Dawn Formo y~-o~ THESIS COMMITTEE MEMBER DATE Dr. Jeffrey Charles i·zz.~os THESIS COMMITTEE MEMBER DATE Abstract The thesis, John Steinbeck as an American Modernist, begins by identifying Steinbeck's problematic literary placement within academia and then positions Steinbeck as an American modernist. The driving point of the thesis is to demonstrate Steinbeck as an American modernist so that his work will be incorporated into university-level literature courses more often. The process of placing Steinbeck as an American modernist includes a brief history on Steinbeck's education and literary influences, modernism from the European perspective, and modernism from the American perspective. The thesis credits Carl Sandburg, Edgar Lee Masters, and Sherwood Anderson for developing the American modernist form, which began around 1914. In this movement, the strategy of realism is used to dispel American illusions. To illustrate realism as a strategy, a discussion on realism and how Steinbeck applied it to the novel In Dubious Battle is detailed. The thesis then moves into proletarian literature and how it fit into the modernist movement as a catalyst in developing realism. Following the discussion of proletarian literature are textual analyses that deconstruct American illusions in The Grapes of Wrath, OfMice and Men, and East ofEden. Within these three novels, disillusionment is a prevalent theme. Other literary elements discussed are characterization, plot, and regionalism. Concluding the thesis is a reference to Steinbeck's nonfiction essays in his book America and Americans Connections are made between Steinbeck's nonfiction and fiction, showing how his nonfiction supported the ideas in his fiction. Key Terms: American modernism, modernism, realism, disillusionment, The Grapes of Wrath, OfMice and Men, East ofEden Suzanne Saunders Master's Thesis 26 April 2005 John Steinbeck as an American Modernist Table of Contents I. Introduction 1 II. The Emergence of Modernism in America 6 A. Modernism: The European Movement and Influence 8 B. Modernism: The American Movement 12 1. Realism as a Device 19 a. Realism in the Novel In Dubious Battle 22 III. Steinbeck's Use of American Illusions as Modernist Themes 25 A. The Rise and Decline of Proletarian Literature 26 B. The Grapes of Wrath: The Illusion of the "Land of Opportunity" 31 C. OfMice and Men: The Illusion of the "American Dream" 41 D. East ofEden: The Illusion of "Having it All" 49 E. Creating Realism through Dialect, Plot, and Regionalism 57 IV. Conclusion 63 v. Works Cited 70 VI. Works Consulted 74 Saunders 1 Suzanne Saunders Master's Thesis 26 April 2005 John Steinbeck as an American Modernist I. Introduction Identifying John Steinbeck's works with one literary school of thought presents a challenge for most scholars. His style constantly fluctuates and he appears to vacillate between literary modes. Steinbeck, himself, said of his pliable form: "Since by the process of writing a book I have outgrown that book, and since I like to write, I have not written two books alike. Where would be the interest in that? The result has been (and I can prove it with old reviews) that every book has been attacked by a large section of the critical family" (qtd. in Shillinglaw, Beyond Boundaries 2-3). The fluctuations in Steinbeck's style confuse those looking for consistency, such as literary critic Edmund Wilson: "The variability of the form itself is probably an indication that Steinbeck has never formed the right artistic medium for what he wants so say" ( qtd. in Curley 219). Similarly, Paul McCarthy in his book, John Steinbeck, states: "Literary historians may have difficulty in placing John Steinbeck and his work because neither belongs convincingly with a recognized trend or group" (McCarthy 139). Steinbeck has always said what he wanted to say and with a concise clarity. Nevertheless, his elusive form does present a challenge. Because Steinbeck's work is difficult to place in any particular literary context, teachers may face a dilemma in classifying his work in college literature courses. In a newspaper article titled "Steinbeck at 100," written in 2002 for the centennial of Saunders 2 Steinbeck's birth, reporter Charles Matthews says, "Even though he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962, in American academia Steinbeck's reputation has been in eclipse." For such a renowned American novelist, it is disappointing to see his work and reputation in a so called "eclipse." Compounding the problem of Steinbeck's placement are critics who dismiss the relevance ofhis work, particularly Harold Bloom. Bloom views Steinbeck's work negatively and has long held the position that Steinbeck's work is limited in talent and significance. Although Bloom has a reputation for dismantling writers' works, his opinions are still circulated in academia. Bloom says of Steinbeck: While his popularity as a novelist still endures, his critical reputation has suffered a considerable decline ... His best novels came early in his career: In Dubious Battle (1936), OfMice and Men (1937), The Grapes of Wrath (1939). Nothing after that, including East ofEden (1952), bears rereading. (Bloom 1) Additionally, Bloom views Steinbeck as having a "fatal tendency towards acute sentimentalism" (Bloom 1). Steinbeck's reputation as a sentimentalist followed him throughout his career. But this was not the only label that caused confusion about his literary identification. Susan Shillinglaw, a Steinbeck scholar, observes that "he has also been boxed in critically, his place in the much-debated literary 'canon' unsettled, uncertain. Is he a 'mere realist'? A regionalist? ... A writer to be read in high school and thus not sufficiently complex for a University curriculum?" (Shillinglaw, Beyond Boundaries 1-2). Furthermore, Shillinglaw explains that Steinbeck has become "a victim Saunders 3 of the critical opinion that has so long held sway in Eastern academia: accessible writer, sentimentalist, regionalist" (qtd. in Matthews). With the exception of his novel The Grapes of Wrath, most professors do not include his work in university-level literature courses. Labeling Steinbeck as an overly accessible writer and sentimentalist has overshadowed the value of his work. This is a position that needs to be reconsidered. Steinbeck's contribution to American literature goes beyond simplicity and sentimentality. Although his literature deals with complex social issues in an accessible form, his form is inextricably American. Steinbeck's form and themes belong with a group of American writers who emerged in the second decade of the 1900s-the American modernists. The modernist movement in America paralleled the European movement with the European movement leading the way. Prominent leaders in the European movement, such as T.S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and Ezra Pound sought to revolutionize established literary forms through experimentation, defying convention while searching for new forms. Influenced by the European movement, the American movement developed on its own with Edgar Lee Masters, Carl Sandburg, Vachel Lindsay, Harriet Momoe, Amy Lowell, and Sherwood Anderson at its center. Other writers made significant contributions to the movement, but for the purpose of this thesis, discussion has been limited to the writers who shaped the characteristics of American modernism. The main characteristic both movements shared is that of literary change; both rebelled against tradition in literature, preferring simple forms that expound disillusionment. Modernists viewed conventional forms as perpetuating the illusions established by the Saunders 4 social and economic power structures. Both movements aspired to create new forms that would represent the age and social issues more honestly. Most scholars agree that modernism is difficult to define because it was a multifaceted literary movement. The complex structure of modernism makes it difficult to determine a writer's participation in the modernist movement. During the height of modernism, which began in 1912 and tapered off after 1945 (although it did not disappear entirely), Steinbeck wrote and published his most renowned novels: In Dubious Battle (1936), OfMice and Men (1937), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), and East ofEden ( 1952). Although his novel East ofEden was written in 1952, Steinbeck still addressed the modernist themes of isolation and disillusionment created by a modernizing society. Additionally, in these novels, he defies convention by testing out a new form that many may consider formless. Shillinglaw says of Steinbeck in his relation to modernism that "He was a modernist outside the traditional boundaries of modernism" (Shillinglaw, Beyond Boundaries 2). Steinbeck may be outside the traditional boundaries of European modernism, but he is well within the boundaries of the American modernist movement. Aligning Steinbeck with American modernism requires a brief discussion of modernism in its historical context as well as the attributes
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