John Steinbeck: A Study of the Short Fiction by R. S. Hughes (review)

168 Western American Literature As a historical and descriptive survey ofthe major literary works produced by writers of Mexican descent in the United States, Understanding Chicano Literature has considerable merit. It can be used as a supplementary text for courses in Chicano literature, and it isuseful not only for the Anglo reader but for mejicano students as well. The bibliography and the list of suggested read­ ings should be quite helpful to any beginning student in Chicano literature. The authors’ comments as to the history of the word chicano are merci­ fully brief. Too much has been written about the subject by writers with too little knowledge either of Mexican cultural history or of the history of Mexican Spanish. On the other hand, the role of the Chicano Movement and of pioneer publishers of Chicano literature such as Octavio Romano in California and Nicolas Kanellos in Texas deserves a fuller treatment. From the 1840s to the 1960s, Mexicans in the United States did a good deal of writing, both good and bad. Their efforts were stifled, however, by geographical and social isola­ tion and by the lack of publishing outlets willing to consider writing about Mexicans that did not fit the prejudiced stereotypes of their editors. The Chicano Movement revitalized literary creativity among Mexicans in the United States. Chicano presses encouraged such creative work by provid­ ing a broader readership for Chicano writers, and—indirectly—they brought them to the attention of establishment presses. Hence the existence of books like Understanding Chicano Literature. AMERICO PAREDES University of Texas, Austin John Steinbeck: A Study of the Short Fiction. By R. S. Hughes. (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1989. 218 pages, $18.95.) This useful volume is also an unusual publishing event: the appearance of the second study of John Steinbeck’s short fiction by the same author— University of Hawaii Professor R. S. Hughes—in little over a year. Indeed, while the sequel represents a thorough rewriting of the original (only a chapter on the substantially uncollected work of the 1940s and 1950s is reprinted), the reader cannot expect to encounter markedly different assessments in the newer texts—nor are there any. Hughes ispersuasive in arguing for more atten­ tion to Steinbeck’s mastery of the short-story form than is generally accorded it in the sometimes routine coverage included in critical surveys of the author’s career output. This time around, moreover, Hughes responds to the expected demands of the volume’s intended audience by devoting primary attention to the published and collected pieces, which after all are those the vast majority of students and professors are interested in. The book is also outfitted with a quite thorough bibliography. Reviews 169 As with his novels, Steinbeck’sshort fictions generally make use of western locales; indeed, the landscape of the Californian West can be said to be the organizing principle behind such collections as The Long Valley—particularly The Red Pony, frequently encountered separately—and the sequence-in-novelform The Pastures of Heaven. Hughes’s knowledge of this literal turf is matched by his solid grounding in prior criticism; and while he contributes the results of his study of primary texts and manuscripts to the critical hopper, his judgments of the merits and meanings of individual works do not constitute radical departures from the assessments of most readers. One can readily imagine the delight of the undergraduate finding his or her way to this volume in the primary stages of research. This is a series title, of course, and Twayne’s format demands the inclu­ sion of previously printed materials, in this case a letter from Steinbeck to his former teacher Edith Mirrielees on the mysteries of the cult of story writing, along with a sampling of Steinbeck’s statements on the craft of fiction assem­ bled by Tetsumaro Hayashi. Unfortunately, there has been room for only four critical pieces—by Marilyn H. Mitchell,Charles E. May, M.R. Satyanarayana, and Arnold L. Goldsmith—but these are good ones and adumbrate the range of possible approaches to Steinbeck’s art. Readers with a taste for the best of the West in short stories will be happy to have this book. JOHN DITSKY University...