The Great American Novel
Eight major contenders for the elusive Great American Novel: books that test the country's myths of freedom, race, money, mobility, violence, and memory. 8 books · Intermediate.
Modern · Novel
The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck. A canonical or canon-adjacent work by John Steinbeck examining labor, land, dignity; included to broaden the catalog’s historical, literary, or intellectual coverage.
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- Date
- 1939
- Origin
- United States
- Era
- Modern
- Genre
- Novel
- Canon tier
- Essential core
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Length
- Medium
- Collection
- The Western Canon
Subjects and themes
Why it matters
A canonical or canon-adjacent work by John Steinbeck examining labor, land, dignity; included to broaden the catalog’s historical, literary, or intellectual coverage.
This work is included on the basis of expanded synthesis: bloom / great books / modern library / revised canon. Its cataloged influence level is 5 out of 5.
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