Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is widely regarded as his masterpiece. The novel portrays the struggles of migrant workers in California during the 1930s through the journey of a family traveling from Oklahoma to California.

Similarly, English Romantic poet Lord Byron drew inspiration from the story of Cain. His dramatic poem, “Cain: A Dramatic Mystery in Three Acts,” critiques Christianity as well as the political and social institutions of nineteenth-century England. This work is available in the Oxford World’s Classics series, in a volume edited by Jerome J. McGann titled Lord Byron: The Major Works (2000).

Kevin Starr’s Americans and the California Dream, 1850–1915 (1986) explores the development of Californian culture in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Starr examines the California dream from social, psychological, and symbolic perspectives, while also addressing its myths and contradictions.

John Steinbeck: A Biography (1994) by Jay Parini is a comprehensive and empathetic account of Steinbeck's life. Parini conducted numerous interviews with individuals who knew Steinbeck and utilized both published and unpublished letters, diaries, and manuscripts to provide a detailed portrait of the author.