Steinbeck and Jeffers: Where Narrative Meets Place | Livestream Zoom

Course Description:

Drawing on the central theme of her new book "Steinbeck's Landscapes: Where Story Meets Place," Susan Shillinglaw invites us to explore why landscape and ecology are so fundamental to an appreciation of both Steinbeck's and Jeffers's lyrics and narratives. Separate works of each are shaped by geological, biological, cultural, and historical landscapes. We'll examine Steinbeck's landscapes in short stories and then turn to his first and most exuberant California novel, "To a God Unknown." We'll also consider the impact of Jeffers's poetry, including "Roan Stallion," on Steinbeck, his wife Carol, Edward F. Ricketts, and Joseph Campbell, who were discussing ecological holism in 1932 as Steinbeck completed his manuscript. In the words of Campbell, it was "our year of crazy beginnings."