The Red Pony (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Steinbeck
- First Published: 1937
- Type of Work: Novella
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Bildungsroman, Pastoral
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Children, Family or family life, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Twentieth century, Nature, California, West, U.S., Death or dying, Ranches, ranchers, or ranching, Life and death, Horses, Ponies
- Locales: Salinas Valley, CA
Steinbeck, in Baja California in 1937, let it be known that he was writing a children's book, referring to what was to grow into The Red Pony. The first three of the four interconnected stories that make up The Red Pony were published in The Long Valley (1938). In 1945, Steinbeck added the final story, “The Leader of the People,” to make the collection long enough to be published as a separate entity. The novella is not a children's book in the conventional sense; it is more accurately described as a Bildungsroman, a book that chronicles the education of...
[The entire page is 860 words long]
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