/lit/ - Literature

>>17082606
Yes

>>17082606
No. I hate his vulgar humanism. Portraying ugly characters in ugly stories because it's "earthy" or whatever. he was talented but his characters are disgustingly human. real people aren't so extremely mediocre

>>17082606
yeah east of eden is very good

East of Eden was great but I was bored to tears by Grapes of Wrath. I couldn't finish it.

>>17082606
Yes, lots of Steinbeck love on this board recently, good.

>>17082606
I sure do

>>17082606
Yup. Read the Pearl the other day. it was Kino [endspoiler].

>>17082629
>Real people aren't so extremely mediocre.
Are you sure about that, anon? Bell curve says otherwise.

>>17082606
East of Eden is the great american novel

>>17082606
we don't talk about Steinbeck enough here, I think that he's very good

>>17083602
I disagree. It's a better novel than GoW but GoW is a far better contender thematically.

>>17083608
I suppose you may be right if you put more emphasis on the american part than on the great

>>17082606
He was a chad.

>>17083623
"The Great American Novel" as it was doesn't just mean "the best novel written in America", it's a book that fully encapsulates the American experience in the context of the country's foundational goals and values as a whole. A novel being a Great American Novel doesn't mean it's the best American novel, it mean's, better than any of its relatives, it showcases the country's national character at any period of time.

>>17082606
His work is getting better as I get older. I like the comfy feeling in his writing.

>>17083633
yeah, I would rank Grapes of Wrath higher in this regard (as a non-American though )

>>17082629
I wish I could still have that optimism.
>>17082860
It was an alright story with Tom and Jim being well-made characters which I'm sure relates with the poor much more than middle-class me, but ia gree.

>>17082606
Huge fan. Few people capture the raw dirty humanism of the American working class like Steinbeck did in Grapes. The humble goodness and stoic optimism in the face of despair and destruction.

I would love to hear Tolstoys opinion on them. I feel like he would've been a fan.

>>17083713
>tfw you will never hear Tolstoy's opinion on Steinbeck's works

>>17083724
:(

for me its cannery row

>>17082860
Try again later. Grapes of Wrath can be a tough read but it’s one of those books that really sticks with you when you finish it