InSteinbeck’sImaginarium,RobertDeMottdelvesintotheimaginative,creative,andsometimesneglectedaspectsofJohnSteinbeck’swriting.DeMottpositionsSteinbeckasapropheticvoicefortodayasmuchashewasfortheDepression-era1930sastheessaysexploretheoftenunknownorunacknowledgedelementsofSteinbeck’sartisticcareerthatdeservecloserattention.Hewritesaboutthedeterminingscientificinfluences,suchasquantumphysicsandecology,inCanneryRowandconsidersSteinbeck’saddictiontowritingthroughthelensoftheextensive,obsessivefull-lengthjournalsthathekeptwhilewritingthreeofhisbest-knownnovels--TheGrapesofWrath,TheWaywardBus,andEastofEden.DeMottinsiststhatthesemonumentalworksoffictionallcompriseimportantstatementsonhiscreativeprocessandhistheoryoffictionwriting.DeMottfurtherblendshispersonalexperienceasalifelonganglerwithareadingofseveralneglectedfishingepisodesinSteinbeck’swork.Collectively,thechaptersilluminateJohnSteinbeckasafullyconscious,self-aware,literate,experimentalnovelistwhosetalentswillcontinuetowarrantstudyandadmirationforyearstocome.
