John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men: A Reference Guide

One of the great works of American literature, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is popular with the international reading public and is widely taught at schools and colleges. Like the Joads of The Grapes of Wrath, the novel’s protagonists, George and Lennie, have joined a cavalcade of literary figures that forever inhabit the imaginary landscape of America and the world. The novel has also generated controversy: it was one of the most frequently banned books in the U.S. public school curriculum of the 1990s. This guide provides a concise overview of Steinbeck’s work. Though it is a short novel with relatively few characters, it is intricately structured and much more complex than some critics have acknowledged. Steinbeck considered it an experiment, and his use of language is challenging. General readers and students at all levels will find this guide to be a valuable introduction to this major American masterpiece.