Okay, a classic, I know. It's been reviewed and reviewed and read by countless English classes. And of course, its claim to fame most recently is that it's the "Book That Brought Oprah's Book Club Back." (I am NOT knocking Oprah or her Book Club. Anything that gets people reading is a GOOD thing, and I believe that people who do knock Oprah Winfrey are doing so because they think they're more intelligent and talented than a woman who has risen from a difficult childhood to become a billionaire who uses her resources to help as many as she can. And guess what? They're not. It's just their insecure fear lashing out. Gee whiz, Beck, are you reviewing a book here? Get on with it)
So there's nothing new under the sun here, but wow, I got so much from this book. I found some of the character conversations to be trying and unrealistic, but then, the entire book has an epic feel that doesn't require realism. I got lost in Steinbeck's description of country and place. His language and style are what I would like to emulate in my own writing. In my fantasy world (in which I am disciplined enough to call myself a "writer"), I see myself sitting down to write an epic of place. I'd like to say an epic of place similar to this one, but I suspect my efforts would fall short.
A couple of my favorite quotes:
Our species is the only creative species, and it had only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in music, in art, in poetry, in mathematics, in philosophy. Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of a man.
And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual.
Posted by Becky at May 30, 2004 01:12 AM