This casebook provides a rich source of primary materials on the period and the plight of the migrant farm worker that brings to life the problems Steinbeck immortalized in the novel. When The Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939, it had an explosive effect on the public, calling attention to the problems of migrant farm workers during the Great Depression. Some of these later essays reflect on the lasting significance of the novel, while others note that some scholars and educators have questioned its relevance.
The first part of the book looks back at the first 50 years of the novel's reception, from 1939 to 1989, while the second examines the response to Steinbeck during the 1990s. Through reprints of early reviews and scholarly articles, along with original essays and reviews of the four most recent major editions, this volume traces the critical reception of Steinbeck's novel. But despite the publication of four new editions of the book from 1989 to 1997, its place in the American literary canon is precarious. His novel became an important part of the American curriculum, many readers praised his epic vision, and modern critics have tended to respond favorably to his works. Some earlier reviewers faulted Steinbeck for his apparent sentimentality, while others were disturbed by his portrait of heartless, greedy Americans.
Like many phenomenally popular works, it has elicited a wide range of critical responses. When it was initially published in 1939, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath instantly became a bestseller.
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