Context

This section of the website is a collection of readings that provide an overview of the historical events and social issues surrounding the works of John Steinbeck.

Steinbeck's writing was deeply connected to the time and place in which it was set. The characters and events portrayed in his fiction were meant to be realistic, "...I must get into it the feeling of movement and of life....Make them live. But my people must be more than people. They must be an over-essence of people," Steinbeck wrote in his journal. Understanding the time period in which Steinbeck was writing in and about creates a deeper connection to the characters and the issues Steinbeck illuminated in his writing.