Working Days
Working Days
“I know the why and how of that. It’s the millions of words written, all the short stories, even the ones that weren’t any good. Without the millions of words written it is impossible to write a book like this. And by the same token—those millions of words are a guarantee that the last half will not falter for a moment.
—Steinbeck, on reading the manuscript of Louis Paul’s novel, The Wrong World (1938). (Courtesy of University of Virginia Library) Commentary The following ninety-nine entries, ...which cover the summer and fall of 1938, constitute the truest story of the making of The Grapes of Wrath. They comprise Steinbeck’s attempt, with a kind of scientific preciseness, “to map the actual working days and hours” of his novel, and they provide an unparalleled record of the shapings and seizings, the naked slidings, of his creative psyche. No other account matches this one for personal intensity, dedication, investment, and drama.
Unlike the sprawling, digressive entries on symbolism, characterization, and philosophy that mark Steinbeck’s daily log for his 1952 novel East of Eden (the entries were published posthumously in 1969 as Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters), here Steinbeck is working in a different mode—more focused and sharper, less self-reflexive and expansive, but of course no less revealing about his habitual writerly concerns.MoreLess
—Steinbeck, on reading the manuscript of Louis Paul’s novel, The Wrong World (1938). (Courtesy of University of Virginia Library) Commentary The following ninety-nine entries, ...which cover the summer and fall of 1938, constitute the truest story of the making of The Grapes of Wrath. They comprise Steinbeck’s attempt, with a kind of scientific preciseness, “to map the actual working days and hours” of his novel, and they provide an unparalleled record of the shapings and seizings, the naked slidings, of his creative psyche. No other account matches this one for personal intensity, dedication, investment, and drama.
Unlike the sprawling, digressive entries on symbolism, characterization, and philosophy that mark Steinbeck’s daily log for his 1952 novel East of Eden (the entries were published posthumously in 1969 as Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters), here Steinbeck is working in a different mode—more focused and sharper, less self-reflexive and expansive, but of course no less revealing about his habitual writerly concerns.MoreLess
Read book Working Days for free
You can download books for free in various formats, such as epub, pdf, azw, mobi, txt and others on book networks site. Additionally, the entire text is available for online reading through our e-reader. Our site is not responsible for the performance of third-party products (sites).
Write Review:
User Reviews: