East of Eden - December CC Book Club Selection

[ignatius]

I haven’t started East of Eden. Right now I’m reading The Haunting of Hill House and am happily ensconced in Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb (Farseer Trilogy, #3 - and thank you, CC Best Book thread). I do have my copy of East of Eden but it’s going to have to wait in line. Still, I’m planning to meet up with you guys Nov. 1.

[NJTheatreMOM]

@ignatius

Still, I’m planning to meet up with you guys Nov. 1.

Wish our discussion did start Nov 1, but we’ve got more than another month to go!

[ignatius]

Right right right.

I’m reading The Haunting of Hill House for a discussion on Nov. 1. I don’t think I could start East of Eden today or tomorrow and finish by Nov. 1.

[Mary13]

I haven’t started it yet, either – plan to begin soon. @mathmom, how far along are you? I hope, for your sake, that the book begins to grow on you! On the other hand, having an opposing point-of-view always makes for an interesting discussion. See you all on December 1st!

[mathmom]

I’m a little over 100 pages in. There are things I find interesting about it. I think it will make for a good discussion in any event.

[psychmom]

Waving hello to this wonderful group of book lovers and its very special chief cat herder, Mary!!! I am sorry I have disappeared for so long…I have moved on from CC, however, you all have left a big impression on me that I peek in from time to time to see what you’re reading and discussing. I’ve decided to come out of hiding in an attempt to tackle the December pick–I hated Steinbeck in school but I am sooo much more mature now (well, older anyway ) and want to give this a try.

Thanks for having me back–looking forward to catching up and “hearing” your voices!

[ignatius]

^^^ I noticed you didn’t join us anymore and wondered about you. Glad to see you back.

[Mary13]

Hi psychmom, so happy you’ll be joining us! (People actually move on from CC? Inconceivable!)

[psychmom]

I am about 100 pages into it–I thought it would feel like an assignment but it is holding my interest (way more so than high school’s Grapes of Wrath). I’m digging the whole morality theme!

[ignatius]

Well, darn - I got distracted. I picked up * Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck*

On January 29, 1951, John Steinbeck began East of Eden, a novel that he considered his magnum opus and the crowning achievement of his literary career. From the date of this letter until the novel’s completion in November, Steinbeck kept a meticulous ledger—in the form of a large blue notebook—which he filled with a series of letters to his editor and confidante, Pascal Covici, written every morning before he began work on the book. Covici was a prominent Romanian-American writer, editor, and publisher who, after discovering the likes of Nathanael West, John Fante, Wyndham Lewis, and Steinbeck (and issuing their early works under his Pascal Covici, Inc imprint), became a major creative force at Viking Press in New York. Steinbeck’s East of Eden letters are equal parts memoir and personal correspondence, offering meditations on the writing process, as well as on his interest in fatherhood, politics, and spirituality. After the novel’s completion, he gifted the notebook—with the letters on the left page and the manuscript itself on the right—to Covici and his wife. The letters are unique literary artifacts, written as much to himself as to their ostensible recipient. They chart Steinbeck’s approach to plotting, outlining, and working through the complexities of theme, style, and structure that the ambitious East of Eden attempted to address. The novel, published in 1952, was dedicated to Covici. 20 August (1951): John Steinbeck to Pascal Covici | The American Reader

At the moment, I enjoy the letters more than the book. And for one (me) who needs that push into symbolism, etc., they’re a good thing. Example from Steinbeck’s letter dated March 13:

The letter* written by Charles to Adam is a very tricky one and it has in it, concealed but certainly there, a number of keys. I recommend that you read it very carefully - very carefully because if you miss this, you will miss a great deal of this book and maybe will not pick it up until much later. I don’t know why I tell you this though, for I am sure you will read it all with great care, as great care as I use in writing it. Sometimes maybe too much care. But I guess that is impossible. And I suppose the subtleties are sooner or later picked out but never by the critics.

*At the end of Chapter 4 in the novel.

Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck.

Yeah, did I need that information? Sure, it made me read the letter from Charles to Adam again - though I probably still missed the referred to “keys.” Anyway, East of Eden by Dec. 1 - maybe; but I sure as heck will be able to tell you the why, wherefore, and whatever that went into the writing of it.

A “whatever” from February 12:

I do not have the name yet. I think it might be Canable. No, that is a double or rather a triple meaning I don’t want. The name is so important that I want to think about it . I remember a friend of my father’s – a whaling master named Captain Trask. I have always loved the name. It meant great romance to me.

[NJTheatreMOM]

Wow, hats off to you for reading this book of Steinbeck’s letters, ignatius! Looking forward to hearing insights from it during the discussion.

I was fascinated by the character “Lee” in the book and am curious about what inspired Steinbeck to create him.

[ignatius]

@NJTheatreMOM: You ought to pick up the book of Steinbeck’s letters since you’ve finished East of Eden. It’s only 182 pages - short and an easy read. A letter can pertain to what’s happening in Steinbeck’s life and then move on to East of Eden. Steinbeck used the letter-writing as a warm-up to his day’s novel-writing. Anyway, I picked up my copy from the library.

[ignatius]

Happily surprised: it looks like I’ll finish East of Eden in time to join the discussion. I only have 140 pages left and 4 (or more) days in which to read. If asked a week or so ago, I’d have said no way.

[Mary13]

A little inspiration for anyone else on the last lap: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/26/move-over-freud-literary-fiction-is-the-best-therapy

[CBBBlinker]

Ha! I actually finished 2 days ago!! Yay me! (Good thing, since I now have to finish the book for my RL Book Club that meets Thursday evening…)

[ignatius]

@Mary13 - re post #33

Steinbeck agrees. From Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters

If the written word has contributed anything at all to our developing species and our half developed culture, it is this: Great writing has been a staff to lean on, a mother to consult, a wisdom to pick up stumbling folly, a strength in weakness, and a courage to support sick cowardice. June 28 [Thursday]

I have to add I’m glad Steinbeck has finally settled on a title: He’s jumped from The Salinas Valley to The Valley to Sign of Cain to East of Eden. Once he hits on East of Eden, it feels right to him. In his journal he now just calls his book E.

@CBBBlinker: What’s your book club book?

[CBBBlinker]

@ignatius - We’re reading “Nutshell” by Ian McEwan. Fortunately it’s short; 208 pages, or 2 hours, 41 mins average reading time, according to my Kindle.

[nottelling]

Curious about that one; love Ian McEwan, not so crazy about the premise (narrator is apparently a fetus!)

[ignatius]

Correcting myself - post #35

Steinbeck considered the title Cain Sign (not Sign of Cain) at one point. That particular iteration did not last long and I’m glad. I much prefer E of E.

[Mary13]

Welcome to December and our discussion of East of Eden!

It had been thirty five years since I read East of Eden and I was sure I’d forgotten nearly all of it. Surprisingly though, at almost every turn of events I knew what was going to happen next. Sort of like driving to a place you haven’t been in years, but realizing once you’re on the road that you still know the way and remember all the landmarks.

Two things that remained the same for me:

1. The way Adam wasted most of his life still frustrated me beyond measure.

2. The scenes with Cathy, especially young Cathy, continued to be my least favorite. The older Kate seems slightly more nuanced, but Cathy embodies a kind of cold evil that I do not understand. Because she has no shred of goodness, she seems one-dimensional.

Two things that changed for me:

1. The scope of Samuel’s life resonated deeply with me this time around. I was a teenager when I first read the book; now I am the middle-aged parent of a passel of grown children. It’s a very different perspective.

2. On my first reading, I found Lee to be a warm and admirable character; I liked him a lot. This time around, I felt that Lee was the heart and soul of the novel. It was almost a relief when he was present–a person who consistently does the right thing, exhibits love and humor, understands why people do what they do, and does not pass judgement.

I’ll post some questions to either mull over or skip, as the spirit moves you.