Summary Of John Steinbeck's East Of Eden Bookcard

Candice Romero

Ms. Padilla Per. 3

AP Lang

13 January 2014

East of Eden Bookcard

I. Authorial Background – The where, when, what’s going on in his country at the time. What happens to make him write this work. Also include other significant works he has written

John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. It was the turn of the century when he was born, a time when Roosevelt was president, on a mission to better the country; with the first college football game happened at the Rose bowl and the first movie theater opens in the U.S. It was a time for the people of the U.S. to bring a change to both business and pleasure. He began writing thinking about families, particularly his. He wrote East of Eden with his sons as his audience. He is also known for his books The Pearl, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath.

II. Literary Period/Country – Place the work in the right country and the right literary time period. Define the years of the time period and publication date. What were the general literary movements of the time? Define and comment on them and how this work fits-or doesn’t.

East of Eden was published in the year 1952, with the actual story being set during the time between the Civil War and World War 1. The story takes place in the United States during the turn of the century in California. The general literary movements of this time were Modernism, leading way into contemporary. This work was a reflection on the past, winding down until the modern world. The way the story was told was in fact within a modernistic view, so Stinbeck did not cause any controversy over the time, but rather because the critics just did not understand the meaning behind his words.

III. Setting – Time, place –...

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...h. There are novels that fill your head, and then there are novels that fill your soul. I am not a smarter person for having read East of Eden, but I feel there is something in my gut that has changed. Those cracks in the foundation have been repaired and a gaping hole in my heart I never knew was there has been filled.

I give East of Eden my highest praise.

Cite your critique of the novel.

John Steinbeck’s East of Eden was a beautifully written novel. Although it was quite long, his words caught me in a place where time did not matter; a place where my only care was that of the characters and the struggles they dealt with in their lives. It made me question the nature of human beings, including myself. I had to pause at numerous times throughout my reading to reflect on something that he had just said. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, bad human nature and all.