Books in the Greenwood Guides to Fiction series

A detailed summary of the novel's plot is followed by a close examination of the novel's genesis, its publication history, and the merits of various editions and translations. Later chapters discuss the social and cultural contexts informing the work, Flaubert's literary craftsmanship, and the novel's critical reception.

John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is one of the most widely read American novels. The novel was published near the end of the Great Depression, yet its issues remain provocative and current, generating considerable critical debate.