Abstract
In his 1962 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, John Steinbeck asserted that literature is born of “human need,” and the passage of time serves only to make literature “more needed.” For Steinbeck, the purpose of literature and the charge of its authors is to hold up a mirror to readers by simultaneously depicting humanity’s faults alongside its capacity for greatness. The purpose of this mirror is not to condemn humanity but to give it an opportunity for self-reflection and improvement. In current times, during which banned and challenged books are still an issue, an underlying cultural sensibility suggests that much literature, precisely because of its frequent exposure of the faults of humanity, is not aimed toward improving us but instead is something for us somehow to be protected from. This paper takes the opposite viewpoint. I discuss the ways in which literature, including that which explores the darkest sides of humanity, has a special power to uplift us. I investigate the trajectories in which literature has served Steinbeck’s vision in the more than 60 years since he made his remarks, and I amplify his position that literature is “more needed” today than ever before.
Presenters
Lori NewcombProfessor of English, Language and Literature, Wayne State College, Nebraska, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Purpose of Literature, John Steinbeck, Book Banning, Literature and Humanity
