The Grapes of Wrath was Steinbeck's sixth novel and is generally considered to be his masterpiece. It was published in 1939 to critical acclaim and received the Pulitzer Prize the following year. However, the negative portrayal of his fellow Californians cost Steinbeck dearly in terms of the support, from his local community and from individuals who had praised his previous work, and had greeted the success of a native son with pride and admiration. After the book's publication, the author was burned in effigy and his novel denounced as scandalous and populated with lies and distortions. Moreover, the graphic detail, the sexual innuendoes, and the scatological references that Steinbeck had included in the novel offended …
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Citation: Meyer, Michael J.. "The Grapes of Wrath". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 September 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=711, accessed 25 November 2024.]
