Steinbeck's Imaginarium: Essays on Writing, Fishing, and Other Critical Matters

Robert DeMott's book explores the imaginative, creative, and neglected aspects of John Steinbeck's writing, positioning him as a prophetic voice for today and the Depression-era 1930s. It discusses scientific influences, addiction, and fishing episodes, illuminating Steinbeck as a fully conscious, self-aware, literate, and experimental novelist.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2022
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press

In his book "Steinbeck's Imaginarium," Robert DeMott delves into the imaginative, creative, and often overlooked aspects of John Steinbeck's writing. DeMott portrays Steinbeck as a prophetic voice for both the Depression-era 1930s and the present day, as the essays explore the often unknown or unacknowledged elements of Steinbeck's artistic career that deserve closer attention. He delves into the scientific influences, such as quantum physics and ecology, in "Cannery Row" and examines Steinbeck's addiction to writing through the lens of the extensive, obsessive full-length journals that he kept while writing three of his best-known novels: "The Grapes of Wrath," "The Wayward Bus," and "East of Eden." DeMott insists that these monumental works of fiction all comprise important statements on Steinbeck's creative process and his theory of fiction writing. Furthermore, DeMott blends his personal experience as a lifelong angler with a reading of several neglected fishing episodes in Steinbeck's work. Collectively, the chapters illuminate John Steinbeck as a fully conscious, self-aware, literate, experimental novelist whose talents will continue to warrant study and admiration for years to come.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780826364289