How would you rank Steinbeck's works, /lit/?
>>7617300
Fucking GOAT American /lit/
Anyone who disagrees is a faggot and can fight me irl
>>7617305
Yeah his works are goodfor an American
above hemingway, about even with kerouac
>>7617305
I've read Grapes of Wrath (muh favorite) and Of Mice and Men. Where do I go from there?
>>7617330
east of eden is really good
>>7617313
>about even with kerouac
But he's literal shit.
>>7617330
Cannery Row is my personal favorite. Definitely his most severely underrated book.
>>7617378
you are missing out on so, so much
put it this way: steinbeck wasn't a poet
>>7617300
The Red Pony<The Pearl<Everything Else
>>7617300
Of the ones I've read:
East of Eden
Grapes of Wrath = Cannery Row
Of Mice and Men (which is still good, mind)
of those i've read, grapes of wrath was the real thing, travels with charley is some of my favorite nonfiction writing and tortilla flat is bretty shit
>>7617300
Low.
>>7617311
This
Travels with Charley is top 5. Grapes is obviously numbero uno.
>>7617373
I hear for being a 700 page book it moves pretty fast.
>>7617300
One of the better American writers, though he's shit compared to Gaddis, Gass, Hawkes, or McElroy.
>>7617311
No, they aren't. He's in the bottom tier of American writers.
Also, I've noticed the anti-American posters always have pleb taste, pretty sad tbqh but at least this one seems to speak english
>>7617539
>found the redditor
Why don't you stick with infinite meme and Pynchon, and let the big boys do the real talking, champ?
>>7617499
Why would you compare a writer of realistic narrative to PoMo authors?
>>7617546
>let the big boys do the real talking
>reads genre fiction
>>7617548
because he's name-dropping and hasn't read a broad selection of steinbeck, i surmise
>>7617567
>a broad selection of steinbeck
>implying his works themselves aren't just selections of platitudes
>>7617575
for me steinbeck wrote an epic or two, some novels, a bunch of short novels, and some fantastic travel writing. there's a broad selection to be read even if you tire of the ulterior motives in his fiction
>>7617585
>there's a broad selection to be read even if you tire of the ulterior motives in his fiction
>there's a broad selection to read even if you tire of his cheap cliches
>>7617548
Because they are great stylists.and I like pomo
>>7617587
his cliches are no cheaper than george orwell's
and you clearly refuse to acknowledge his nonfiction, which is such an underrepresented part of his bibliography
>>7617382
I second this and would also recommend Travels With Charlie
Like someone else said, better than Hemmingway.
I enjoy his prose, setting, and characters. Never had an author capture the essence and atmosphere of the 20th century like him.
Praises aside, I can only take so much of Steinbeck. The monotonous torture he puts his characters through gets to me after a while, to the point of frustration.
Maybe its because my first introduction to him was The Red Pony as a child and it scarred me more than Where the Red Fern Grows. Then Of Mice and Men through English classes in Middle School was my next exposure to him, again depressing.
The next time we were out of electricity for 3 weeks post-hurricane, so I went rummaging in the attic because of roof damage, found a box of undamaged books which had Grapes of Wrath in it. Read it in 3 days because nothing else to do, and felt unfulfilled and depressed.
Never read his books if you're feeling melancholy.
>>7617595
>his cliches are no cheaper than george orwell's
So he's no worse than a writer of genre fiction.
>>7617602
The only that doesn't give me this vibe is Travels With Charlie and a couple of short stories/excerpts I've read from him before.
>>7617602
>Like someone else said, better than Hemmingway.
topkek, no he isn't. Hemingway could at least write great prose poems like The Old Man and The Sea. Not to mention that half of Steinbeck's stylistic come from Hemingway
>>7617611
ahem, as if hemingway's style wasn't a mutation from sherwood anderson anyway
hemingway's best works are his nonfiction and his journalism, and steinbeck's best fiction is eons better
>>7617606
orwell was primarily a nonfiction writer
if you knew this, you would know why the grapes of wrath is mastery
>>7617621
>wasn't a mutation from sherwood anderson
The response that every undergraduate spews, surprised you didn't mention Stein.
If you can't see why it was specifically Hemingway who influenced Faulkner, Steinbeck, etc, you're blind
>hemingway's best works are his nonfiction and his journalism
My sides, not even close.
>steinbeck's best fiction is eons better
Steinbeck hasn't written anything of lasting value. Hemingway's self-insert hunting story worth more than Steinbeck's bibliography. Steinbeck is one of the worst writers we've ever produced. Even Wilson couldn't stomach his shit.
>>7617634
>if you knew this, you would know why the grapes of wrath is mastery
Everyone knows Orwell wrote nonfiction, what is your point? Can you actually point to anything good in Steinbeck's work or will you continue to hide behind these vague phrases?
>>7617647
grapes of wrath and east of eden are legitimate masterpieces
travels with charley and his gulf of mexico writings are in there with anyone's best travel writing and correspondence
and for me, orwell's nonfiction is so good that i don't even care about 1984 and animal farm, they're so much less interesting that they just don't do anything for me anymore.
>>7617640
>Steinbeck hasn't written anything of lasting value
okay then.
gertrude stein > hem and sherwood and steinbeck FWIW
>>7617663
>grapes of wrath and east of eden are legitimate masterpieces
No, they aren't. The characters never feel alive, they're walking cliches. The prose is unoriginal faux biblical shit.
>gertrude stein > hem and sherwood and steinbeck
Kek only the literature board is this bad. Go to any other hobbies or interests board and the users will generally know a thing or two and be able to guide you. Come here and you get simpletons who think Gertrude Stein is worth reading
>>7617678
>no, they aren't
>they're walking cliches
>the prose
>doesn't read stein
spare me your pride, you plebe, and go get your nose into a collected volume of stein right this instant
>>7617686
I've already suffered to read them. Stein is the definition of kitsch
>>7617300
>No-one has actually rated his works yet.
I'll start:
1. Grapes of Wrath - Most politically/socially relevant, and has the humanism that makes Steinbeck great.
2. Of Mice and Men - Taught in high-schools for a reason. Accessible, emotional, and gives an insight into the socio-economic plight of others that even 14 year olds can empathise with.
3 - To a God Unknown - My personal favourite. One of his earlier works, it's like a Paganist gothic novel. Would make a great Paul Thomas Anderson film.
4 - In Dubious Battle - A fun novel about political manipulation. Very similar to Grapes of Wrath, but looks at a political vanguard rather than an every-man family. Good, but too ideological and pessimistic to have broad appeal, and not as good as the above two in the same setting.
5 - East of Eden - His most ambitious, but I feel like he was trying too hard. Tried to consciously be the great Californian novel, and only half got there.
After this point I feel like his other work is just average or fairly good.
6 - Cannery Row / Sweet Thursday - Biographical humanism. Gets fairly boring.
7 - The Moon is Down - Too much of a parable to say anything worthwhile.
8 - Travels with Charley - Enjoyable but unremarkable.
9 - The Pearl - First two thirds are good, but fails at the end. Like watching a gymast break his ankle on landing after a really good routine.
The rest are either 'eh' or I haven't read.
>>7617712
which did you read?
autobiographical stein, poetic stein, or hermetic stein?
alice b. toklas/everybody's autobiography, wars i have seen, and the winner loses are my favorite of her nonfiction writings; four saints and geography and plays are my favorites of her 'out there' work
>>7617771
>My personal favourite.
>favourite
Is this a Brit trying to offer his two cents on my American literature? Fuck off Lobster back.
>>7617828
>steinbeck
>literature
>>7617828
Two pence, colonial.
I bet you're going to vote for Donald Trump.
>>7617828
Ease up brother we're all allowed to share here, Yanks and Bongs together at last in harmony
Let me ask you fellas, how do you think Monterey is now?
>>7617409
>steinbeck wasn't a typist
>>7617828
>2016
>not being an american using british english
