The Life
and Works of John Steinbeck
By Stephanie
Katz, MLS student at USF
[Introduction] [Encyclopedias and Dictionaries]
[Scope] [Biographical Sources]
[Subject Headings] [Literary Criticism]
[Call Numbers] [Indexes and Abstracts]
John Ernst Steinbeck, who lived from
1902 to 1968, is one of America’s great writers. He contributed many works of
various genres to the literary canon and won prestigious awards for his
works. His novels and short stories are
taught in high schools and colleges across the nations, and film and stage
adaptations of his works are still viewed today. His personal life affected his
writing, and the public’s positive and negative reaction to his published words
affected his personal life, so his biography is often studied in tandem with
his stories. His best-known works include the poignant novella Of Mice and Men and the epic novel The Grapes of Wrath. The content of most
of his stories is the lives of everyday people during the first half of the
20th century with California being a frequent setting.
Though Steinbeck wrote in many genres,
the majority of his works were fiction prose, so the focus of this pathfinder
is his short stories and novels. The intended audience is high school and lower
level college students, and also librarians assisting these students. This
pathfinder was developed specifically for the Manatee County Central Public
Library (which will be simply referred to as “the library”), and only materials
located at this library are included. Sources containing overlapping or cursory
information were omitted and only the most useful sources are listed. It should
be noted that this pathfinder would be beneficial to students researching a
singular story or Stienbeck’s life and works in general.
For searching in online card catalog
and databases
• Steinbeck, John
• Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968
• Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968--
Criticism and interpretations
• Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968--
Biography
• Literature -- History and criticism
• Literature -- Stories, plots, etc.
• Literature—Dictionaries
For browsing in library. Note that this
library utilizes the Dewey Decimal System for call numbers. There are over a
dozen interesting monographs located in the Nonfiction section (please note
that monographs mean academic books NOT the various Sparknotes and Cliffsnotes),
and two solid biographies in the Biography section. In the Fiction section are
multiple copies of around a dozen of Steinbeck’s most known books in case a
researcher needs to consult a primary source. Reference books are listed in
later sections and denoted with “REF” before the call number.
►Reference: 803-920
►Nonfiction: 813.52, 818.52
►Biography: Steinbeck
►Fiction: Steinbeck
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
Magill,
F. N. (Ed.). (1997). Cyclopedia of world authors (3rd ed., Vols.
1-5). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press. [REF 809 Cyc]
The Cyclopedia of World Authors
contains a page-long sketch of Steinbeck’s life, works, and critical acceptance
as well as a complete bibliography of his works is included. This source is a
great first stop source to use in order to gain a general understanding of Steinbeck
and prepare for further research.
Tuska,
J., & Piekarski, V. (Eds.). (1983). Encyclopedia of frontier and
western fiction. New York: McGraw-Hill. [REF 813.087409 Enc]
Biographical and critical information
is presented with an emphasis on Steinbeck as a regional writer. Various titles
are quickly analyzed for regionalism.
Henderson,
H., & Pederson, J. P. (Eds.). (2000). Twentieth-Century literary
movements dictionary. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics. [REF 809.91 Twe]
This source would benefit students who
need to understand how Steinbeck fits into the literary canon, and who need to
study his works as they relate to broader literary movements. The book contains
an entry devoted to Steinbeck and he is also mentioned in six other entries. A
two-page bibliography of further reading is included.
Myerson.
J. (Ed.). (1978-2005). Dictionary of literary biography. (Vols.
1-306). Detroit: Gale Research. [REF 810.9 Dic]
Each volume of the Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) has a theme, such as Twentieth Century American Nature
Writers, and Steinbeck is published in four of the volumes in the library. Each
entry contains a ten or so pages of biographical information including
photographs and a list of various biographies, bibliographies, and monographs
on the author.
Evory,
A. (Ed.). (1981-2005). Contemporary authors new revision series.
(Vols. 1-132). Detroit: Gale Research.
[REF 920 Con]
Contemporary
Authors New Revision Series (CANR)
contains basic information about Steinbeck’s life and works. It’s most useful
features include a comprehensive bibliography of Steinbeck’s works, a list of
his literary awards, information about various periodicals he was published in,
and a list of periodicals that printed his obituary. Note that CANR is clearer than the DLB since it is arranges prominent
information in lists rather than text, but it is not as in-depth as the DLB.
Garrett,
A. (Ed.). (1989-200). Authors & artists for young adults (Vols.
1-35). Detroit: Gale Research. [REF 920
Aut]
Authors
& Artists for Young Adults (AAYA)
is similar to CANR, but is intended
for middle and high school students only.
Pritchett,
V. S. (Ed.). (2000). Critical survey of long fiction (2nd ed.,
Vols. 1-8). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
[REF 809.3 Cri]
This source is a great starting point
for research on Steinbeck and his novels. Within the eight-page entry are
sections on Steinbeck’s literary acheivements, personal biography, analysis of
Steinbeck as a writer, bibliographies of major works and further readings, and
more detailed analysis of five of Steinbeck’s best known works. The text is
academic, yet also imparts a “feel” for Steinbeck’s works and their treatment
by critics and the public, both at the time of first publication and the present.
May,
C. E. (Ed.). (2001). Critical survey of short fiction (2nd. ed.
Vols. 1-7). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
[REF 809.31 Cri]
Similar the Critical Survey of Long Fiction, this source provides information
on Steinbeck’s life and writings, bibliographies, and detailed description and
analysis on some of his short works.
Riley,
C. (Ed.). (1974- 2005). Contemporary literary criticism. (Vols.
1-194). Detroit: Gale Research. [REF 809 Con]
The Contemporary
Literary Criticism (CLC) series
and other similar series are commonly used sources for literary criticism.
These books compile up to date critical commentary from a variety of sources
including scholarly journals, monographs, and book review periodicals. The
series also has extensive biographical information, analysis of major works,
and a bibliography for further research. Steinbeck is featured in eight
volumes, and each volume highlighting Steinbeck has over 50 pages of literary
criticism on his works, and criticism is each volume does not overlap. The author
and title indexes cumulative for all the related series. It is arranged fairly
well, but the bulk of text does require a medium level of synthesis from a
user. Patrons should also refer to Gale’s other similar series (some of which
are listed here) as the criticism in each series is not repeated in another
series.
Fitzgerald.
S. (Ed.) (1988-2005). Short story criticism (Vols. 1-74).
Detroit: Gale Reseacrch. [REF 808.83
Sho]
Short
Story Criticism (SSC)
is arranged like CLC. Steinbeck is
highlighted in two volumes, and there is information and criticism on his major
short stories as well as his lesser-known stories.
Magill,
F. N. (Ed.). (1996). Masterplots: 1,801 plot stories and critical
evaluations of the world's finest literature (Rev. 2nd ed., Vols.1-12).
Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
[REF 809 Mas]
This series has individual entries on
many of Steinbeck’s novels, and lists vital information on each story such
as principle characters with brief
descriptions, type of plot, time of plot, locale, and first publication date
(this information is also included within the various Masterplots II series below). Each entry also contains a synopsis,
critical evaluation, and a selective bibliography. Entries are written by
various scholars. The writing style is straight-forward, yet perceptive.
Researchers should make sure to consult the other Masterplots sets if they at first cannot locate information on a
specific work.
May,
C. (Ed.). (2004). Masterplots II: Short stories series (Rev. ed.,
Vols. 1-8). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
[REF 809 Mas]
This series contains individual entries
on many of Steinbeck’s short stories lists vital information on each story
including principle characters, type of plot, time of plot, locale, and first
publication date. Each entry has a sections on plot, themes and meanings, and
style and technique.
Magill,
F. N. (Ed.). (1989). Masterplots II: Nonfiction series. Pasadena,
CA.: Salem Press. [REF 809 Mas]
This set contains some of the only
information available in the library on Sea
of Cortez, co-authored by Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts. In addition to
the standard information this entry contains sections on form and content,
in-depth analysis of the book, critical context, and a short bibliography.
Available to cardholders through the
library’s website.
Gale
Research. (2009). Literature Resource Center. Retrieved April 22,
2009, from http://www.mymanatee.org/library/master.html
Literature Resource Center is a good
way to access the various Gale reference sources that the library does not
have.
EBSCOHost.
(2009). MasterFILE Premier. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from http://www.mymanatee.org/library/master.html
MasterFILE Premier contains full text
for over 1,700 periodicals and 500 reference books.