John SteinbeckPresentation by Iona Fleming, Nora

Lullo and Marina Dowdy

Who Was John Steinbeck?

• Born in 1902 in Salinas, California

• Parents were John Ernst Steinbeck and Olive Hamilton

• Of German, English and Irish decent

• Enjoyed writing and graduated from Stanford University in Palo Alto (1919), studying literature

• After several unsuccessful jobs he and his first wife moved to Pacific Grove and were given a loan to live in his father’s cottage.

Who Was He Writing For And What Was His

Purpose For Writing?• His books all written for Americans in the midst of war and the

Great Depression

• During WWII, he wrote for several newspapers

• He helped to write speeches in 1952 and 1954

• His purpose was to publicize his message to the world

Genres And Common Themes In His Writing

Genres • Novels• Short Stories • Non Fiction• Play-Novelettes

Themes• The strengths of family• The effects of the environment on man• Social protests• Hardships of the Great Depression• Importance of dreams and loved ones

How Did His Life Impact His Writing?

• Time spent working on a farm impacted many of his books, such as:

• Of Mice and Men

• The Grapes of Wrath

• Cannery Row

A photo from the Of Mice and Men movie

What Influenced Him To Write Of Mice and Men?

• He spent his summers working on nearby ranches

• He later worked on a farm with migrants and became aware of migrant life

• This inspired him to write Of Mice and Men

• Of Mice and Men was a novel written to be made into a play

His Works

27 Books in Total:

• Of Mice and Men (1937)

• The Grapes of Wrath (1939)

• The Winter of His Discontent (1961)

Did His Books Leave an Impact?

• His books affected Americans greatly

• Themes in his books are still relevant today

• He is still a very popular writer today, even though he died over forty years ago

Citationshttp://archive.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/append/steinbeck_bio_s99.html

http://www.steinbeck.org/pages/john-steinbeck-biography

http://www.biography.com/people/john-steinbeck-9493358

www.unitedwayla.org

www.thespiritoflife.org.uk

www.us-history.com

en.wikapedia.com

comicbook.com

www.independent.co.uk

www.imdb.com

www.fipresci.org

lengutmen.com

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/JohnSteinbeck_TheGrapesOfWrath.jpg

www.shmoop.com/john-steinbeck/timeline.html