Write Like Steinbeck

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Purpose

• Part of the answer to Steinbeck’s success lies in his ability to set a scene
• The author did not merely want readers to understand the scene of the book
• He wanted the audience to feel that they were there
• Visceral, visual, memorable setting
  • Something you can imagine
• Detailed writing

Begin with a General description of the scene

1. Set the scene
   1. Steinbeck rarely started a story with a specific description. To set the scene, the author would first focus on the whole, generalised area
2. Relate
   1. Readers have not all been to the Salinas Valley, but they all know what a river looks like. They can then relate to the settting
3. Create
   1. With his descriptive tone, Steinbeck builds the stage and backdrop of the theatre that is the novel’s conflict

Narrow the general setting down

1. Introductions
   1. After establishing the general setting, Steinbeck would then narrow the scene to focus on his main characters
2. Effect
   1. Then, the overarching encompassing of nature and humanity are boiled down to one place and one character/group
3. Reason
   1. The audience are made to feel part of the scene’s natural surroundings, shaping our response to the humans we meet next

Use vivid, inspiring imagery

1. Imagery
   1. Steinbeck’s ability to set a scene relied heavily on the use of imagery
2. Emotion and memory
   1. The author used words filled with emotion and feeling, words that reminded readers of their own personal memories
3. Simplicity
   1. He often used simple, short words

Style as defined by AI

1. Realism and naturalism
2. Symbolism and allegory
3. Regionalism and Sense of Place
4. Social Commentary
5. Sympathetic characters
6. Simple and accessible language
7. Dialogues and dialects
8. Narrative structure
9. Themes of friendship and brotherhood
10. Human natures and psychology
11. Economic realties

Stylistic Features according to SCSA

1. Style can distinguish the works of individual authors
2. As well as the work of a particular period
3. Or of a particular genre or type of text

Conclusion

1. Steinbeck has a distinct style, one that would allow you to unpack his approach to writing and the impact it has on the meaning
2. Preparing an essay on this would also allow you to rework your ideas for an essay of aesthetics, genre, language, narrative point of view, structure, and other key course concepts

The quiet suburb, under the cover of rain, was beginning to awaken. Shopkeepers opened their businesses while office workers ran frantically to catch the late bus under the thundering downpour. The tall apartment blocks loomed over the streets below, as pedestrians struggled to navigate the complex streets bordered by small cafés and restaurants. The mist swirled and whirled and covered all things seen. Inside Leblanc Café, an intern named Edwardo Hwin.