CRITICISM

Bredahl, A. Carl, Jr. “The Drinking Metaphor in The Grapes of Wrath.” Steinbeck Quarterly 6, no. 4 (fall 1973): 95-8.

Examines the significance of four beverages—liquor, water, milk, and coffee—that appear in The Grapes of Wrath and how metaphor of drinking comes full circle in the final scene.

Campbell, Russell. “Trampling Out the Vintage: Sour Grapes.” In The Modern American Novel and the Movies, edited by Gerald Peary and Roger Shatzkin, pp. 107-18. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1978.

Analyzes the attempts of film makers to preserve the spirit of Steinbeck's novel in their film version of The Grapes of Wrath, finding that their use of documentary elements ultimately failed to capture the scope of Steinbeck's themes.

DeMott, Robert. “‘Working Days and Hours’: Steinbeck's Writing of The Grapes of Wrath.” In The Grapes of Wrath. Text and Criticism, edited by Peter Lisca, pp. 526-39. New York: Penguin Books, 1997.

Traces the composition history of The Grapes of Wrath.

Eisinger, Chester E. “Jeffersonian Agrarianism in The Grapes of Wrath.” University of Kansas City Review 14, no. 3 (autumn 1947): 149-54.

Argues that the dispossessed farmers in The Grapes of Wrath posit a philosophy of eighteenth-century agrarianism in an attempt to counteract the encroachment of modern industrialism on their way of life.

Fossey, W. Richard. “The End of the Wester Dream: The Grapes of Wrath and Oklahoma.” Cimarron Review, no. 22 (January 1973): 25-34.

Argues that the Depression had a much larger effect on the dispossessed character of Oklahoma than the state's citizens generally recognize, and cites the reaction of Oklahomans to The Grapes of Wrath as evidence.

French, Warren, editor. A Companion to The Grapes of Wrath. New York: The Viking Press, 1963, 243 p.

Collection of essays that discuss the historical background of the Dust Bowl and western migration, the critical reception of the book, and its ongoing reputation.

Hayashi, Tetsumaro. “Steinbeck's Women in The Grapes of Wrath: A New Perspective.” Kyushu American Literature 18 (October 1977): 1-4.

Argues that women are the sustaining force of community in The Grapes of Wrath.

Lisca, Peter. “The Grapes of Wrath as Fiction.” PMLA 72, no. 1 (March 1957): 296-309.

Notes that many critics treated The Grapes of Wrath as a historical document and discusses Steinbeck's difficulties in presenting his material in a fictional form.

———. “The Grapes of Wrath: An Achievement of Genius.” In John Steinbeck: Nature and Myth, pp. 87-110. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1978.

Discusses The Grapes of Wrath as Steinbeck's greatest literary achievement and one of the finest examples of the social novel in American literature.

Nimitz, Jack. “Ecology in The Grapes of Wrath.” Hartford Studies in Literature 2, no. 2 (1970): 265-68.

Examines Steinbeck's use of biological theories in The Grapes of Wrath and whether or not this detracts from his art.

Additional coverage of Steinbeck's life and career is contained in the following sources published by the Gale Group: American Writers; Authors and Artists for Young Adults, Vol. 12; Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: Biography & Resources, Vol. 3; Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults, Vols. 2, 3, 13; Concise Dictionary of American Literary Biography, 1929-1941; Contemporary Authors, Vols. 1-4R, 25-28R; Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Vols. 1, 35; Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vols. 1, 5, 9, 13, 21, 34, 45, 75, 124; Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vols. 7, 9, 212, 275; Dictionary of Literary Biography Documentary Series, Vol. 2; DISCovering Authors; DISCovering Authors: British Edition; DISCovering Authors: Canadian Edition; DISCovering Authors Modules: Dramatists, Most-studied Authors, and Novelists; DISCovering Authors 3.0; Exploring Short Stories; Literature and Its Times, Vol. 3; Major 20th-Century Writers, Eds. 1, 2; Novels for Students, Vols. 1, 5, 7; Reference Guide to American Literature, Ed. 4; Reference Guide to Short Fiction, Ed. 2; St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers; Short Stories for Students, Vols. 3, 6; Short Story Criticism, Vols. 11, 37; Something about the Author, Vol. 9; Twayne's United States Authors; Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers; Twentieth-Century Western Writers, Ed. 2; World Literature Criticism; and Writers for Young Adults.