Scarecrow Press
Pages: 224
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9
978-0-8108-5441-3 • Paperback • March 2005 • $70.00 • (£54.00)
Stephen K. George taught literature, writing and philosophy at Brigham Young University, Idaho. He was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal, The Steinbeck Review and Executive Director of The New Steinbeck Society of America.
Part 1 Foreword
Part 2 Acknowledgments
Part 3 Introduction
Part 4 Part I: Steinbeck and Moral Philosophy
Chapter 5 John Steinbeck's lower-case utopia: Basic Human Needs, a Duty to Share, and the Good Life
Chapter 6 John Steinbeck and the Morality of Roles: Lessons for Business Ethics
Chapter 7 John Steinbeck: An Ethics of Fiction
Chapter 8 "I Want to Make 'Em Happy": Utilitarian Philosophy in Steinbeck's Fiction
Chapter 9 The Existential Vacuum and Ethan Allen Hawley: John Steinbeck's Moral Philosophy
Part 10 Part II: Ethical Explorations of Steinbeck's Fiction
Chapter 11 Moral Experience in Of Mice and Men: Challenges and Reflections
Chapter 12 Of Death, Life, and Virtue in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath
Chapter 13 Judging Elisa Allen: Reader Entrapment in "The Chrysanthemums"
Chapter 14 The Power of Strange Faces: Revisiting The Grapes of Wrath with the Postmodern Ethics of Emmanuel Levinas
Chapter 15 The Emotional Content of Cruelty: An Analysis of Kate in East of Eden
Chapter 16 "No Sanctuary": Reconsidering the Evil of Cathy Ames Trask
Chapter 17 Business, Sex, and Ethics in The Wayward Bus
Chapter 18 "The Disintegration of a Man": Moral Integrity in The Winter of Our Discontent
Part 19 Bibliography
Part 20 Index
Part 21 About the Contributors
Part 22 About the Editor
This collection speaks to moral philosophers as eloquently as it speaks to literature scholars, proving that great authors have been 'doing ethics' all along and sometimes in far more lucid and interesting ways than the ethicists. The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck argues persuasively that Steinbeck himself is one of the great American 20th century ethicists. The editor, Stephen George, has clearly demonstrated that great fiction can be philosophy, and philosophy can be entertaining!
— Nina Rosenstand, Associate Professor of Philosophy, San Diego Mesa College, and author of The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics
For almost a century fans of master storyteller John Steinbeck have experienced and been enlightened by the ethical questions so powerfully dramatized in his enduring novels and stories. In The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck, the complexity, depth, and breadth of this canonical writer's moral vision are thoroughly examined, enabling readers to better appreciate that rare and special region where philosophy and fiction meet.
— Charles Johnson, Endowed Professor of English, University of Washington; author of Middle Passage
American scholars of literature and philosophy offer perspectives on what writer Steinbeck's (1902-68) moral philosophy entails and how it plays out in his fiction. Among their topics are lessons for business ethics from his morality of roles, utilitarian philosophy, moral experience in Of Mice and Men, reader entrapment in The Chrysanthemums, the emotional content of cruelty, and reconsidering the evil of Cathy Ames Trask.
— Reference and Research Book News
This collection of thirteen essays offers suggestive and thoughtful explorations of the various moral dimensions of John Steinbeck's works....Most of the essays provide sustained analysis of specific characters and situations, and this is a chief virtue of the collection....The book offers a variety of insightful philosophical perspectives....In sum, this collection includes a healthy diversity of reflections on moral reasoning in and through the works of one of America's literary masters. A recurrent theme is that attempts to censor Steinbeck typically mask (or at least fail to appreciate) the moral complexity of his characters and the situations they face; these essays consistently demonstrate this point. As noted above, the shorter essays tend to be suggestive and would be ideal for use in courses that call for student interpretation. Other, typically longer articles tend to offer more substantial philosophical reflection; these would suit courses in Ethics as well as Philosophy & Literature. Moreover,though, I recommend the book to anyone interested in mining the complexities of Steinbeck's moral insights.
— Society For The Advancement Of American Philosophy
...this is an exciting book, yielding fresh, interesting new readings. Highly recommended.
— Choice Reviews
As Richard E. Hart observes, it is high time for Steinbeck to be 'fully appreciated as a contributor to moral philosophy.' This new book explores the moral content and implications of Steinbeck's work — with particularly interesting essays concerning The Wayward Bus and Of Mice and Men — and stands as yet another important and necessary perspective on an extremely complex, well read, and critically undervalued author.
— Brian Railsback, author of Parallel Expeditions: Charles Darwin and the Art of John Steinbeck
This collection of thirteen essays offers suggestive and thoughtful explorations of the various moral dimensions of John Steinbeck's works....Most of the essays provide sustained analysis of specific characters and situations, and this is a chief virtue of the collection....The book offers a variety of insightful philosophical perspectives....In sum, this collection includes a healthy diversity of reflections on moral reasoning in and through the works of one of America's literary masters. A recurrent theme is that attempts to censor Steinbeck typically mask (or at least fail to appreciate) the moral complexity of his characters and the situations they face; these essays consistently demonstrate this point. As noted above, the shorter essays tend to be suggestive and would be ideal for use in courses that call for student interpretation. Other, typically longer articles tend to offer more substantial philosophical reflection; these would suit courses in Ethics as well as Philosophy & Literature. Moreover, though, I recommend the book to anyone interested in mining the complexities of Steinbeck's moral insights.
— Society For The Advancement Of American Philosophy
The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck is a finely edited, well organized discussion of an aspect of Steinbeck's art that has long begged for a comprehensive study. The strengths of the book include its stimulated variety of viewpoints, its stellar editing, and its willingness to boldly commend what many critics-myself included-tend to see as the source of Steinbeck's weakness in some of his works. The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck is a collection of essays that readers fascinated by Steinbeck's accomplishments will go back to again and again.
— Steinbeck Studies