How to Read John Steinbeck's East of Eden (Introductory Lecture) (Patreon)

It’s time to begin our journey through John Steinbeck's sweeping saga: East of Eden.

Our reading will teach us about good vs evil, storytelling, myth, allegory, fate vs free will, history, identity, morality, society, war, love, jealousy, family, and the human condition. We will meet some incredible characters and, in doing so, ultimately meet ourselves.

Today we’re discussing how best to break into this breathtaking story and bring ourselves fully to this Great American Novel.

Video Timestamps:

• 0:00 how to read Steinbeck’s East of Eden
• 2:20 novel as grand biblical allegory
• 3:20 what do we mean by symbolism?
• 4:00 unlocking the power of our unconscious
• 4:30 what do we mean by allegory?
• 5:25 psychologically complex symbol people
• 6:30 keys to interpreting Steinbeck’s message
• 8:00 a focusing exercise for your reading
• 8:50 the universal story of Cain and Abel
• 9:20 the power of the beginning of Genesis
• 10:00 Adam, Eve, and the fall of mankind
• 11:45 banished from the Garden of Eden
• 12:50 thinking about the serpent seed theory
• 13:30 reading the Cain and Abel story together
• 15:30 ‘am I my brother’s keeper?’
• 16:20 advice for how to read the Bible
• 17:00 locating Steinbeck’s title in Genesis
• 17:50 Cain and Abel in East of Eden
• 18:20 how Steinbeck builds family saga
• 19:20 John Steinbeck’s sweeping canvas
• 20:40 is evil a product of nature or nurture?
• 21:20 Steinbeck reflects upon the past
• 22:10 tone of voice in East of Eden
• 23:20 Steinbeck addressing his sons
• 24:50 the value of telling family stories
• 27:00 Steinbeck’s conversational history
• 27:30 Cal and Aron in East of Eden
• 28:20 the characters’ self-awareness
• 30:00 symbol story for the human soul
• 31:00 Steinbeck’s biblical exegesis
• 32:30 universal story of good vs evil
• 33:25 on the seven basic plots
• 34:45 the universal in the individual
• 35:40 Steinbeck’s voice and prose style
• 36:50 how Steinbeck wrote East of Eden
• 38:00 why Steinbeck found the novel difficult
• 38:45 on expressing the inexpressible
• 40:00 how to read the chapters mindfully
• 41:00 natural world vs human drama
• 42:00 appreciating the American Sublime
• 44:00 great literature gifts us perspective
• 45:00 relishing the opening of East of Eden
• 47:00 how to charge language with meaning
• 48:00 ‘When people first came to the West’
• 49:00 the influence of Ernest Hemingway
• 51:00 Harold Bloom’s Anxiety of Influence
• 52:20 Ernest Hemingway vs John Steinbeck
• 54:00 great literature is sublimated pain
• 55:00 Steinbeck’s life at time of writing
• 57:00 John Steinbeck vs the critics
• 58:45 winning the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize
• 59:30 ‘literature is as old as speech’
• 1:00:40 reading pace for East of Eden
• 1:03:00 some questions for your reading

Resources:

As we journey through East of Eden together, we will have recommendations for rich side avenues and optional extracurriculars. You may wish to pursue some of these in order to deepen your appreciation of this masterpiece.

• Film Adaptation: I recommend saving Elia Kazan's film version, starring James Dean, for when you have finished the novel. As you read, ask yourself: how would you adapt this story to film? What are the most important elements to include? And what would you exclude? With great literature, you can't really remove anything. But filmmakers often have to make these tough  decisions nonetheless. Once you've thought this through, treat yourself to a viewing of the 1955 film and see if you agree with Kazan's directorial choices.
• Scripture: Give the Cain and Abel story in Genesis 4:1-16 a very slow rereading. What's between the lines? How do you interpret the story? I recommend the KJV of the Bible because, along with Shakespeare, it offers us the most sublime prose in the English language. You can find the edition of the King James Bible that I work from here. For a stretch reading goal, you might want to reacquaint yourself with the story of Adam and Eve too. For deep discussions on the disobedience of our primal parents, you might enjoy our lectures on Paradise Lost.
• Documentary: Melvyn Bragg has a tremendously insightful and sensitive documentary in which he travels from Oklahoma to California to get us closer to the great writer. It's called 'John Steinbeck: Voice of America', and you can watch here. Treat yourself to a viewing, and bonus points if you can persuade another to view it with you.
• Biography: For those who want to get a closer acquaintance with Steinbeck the man, and learn about his life, I recommend William Souder's biography Mad at the World. Reading the first chapter provides insights into the writer's childhood. We're also fortunate to have reflections on Steinbeck's life in his own words thanks to Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters.
• Audiobook: Richard Poe has a superb narration of John Steinbeck's masterpiece here, which makes of beautiful listening on-the-go or whilst reading simultaneously.

Reading Assignment:

Our next discussion will cover Part One of the novel, which takes us through the first 127 pages in the Penguin Modern Classics paperback edition.

So continue making your way into the work, meeting the characters, and noting down any themes, ideas, or passages that personally resonate with you.

Questions for You:

1) What is your current relationship with John Steinbeck? Is this your first reading or a rereading of this masterpiece?

2) What themes from your wider reading would you like to pull into East of Eden?

3) Do you believe there is only one story in the world? Is the universal story one of good vs evil?

Happy reading, everybody!