#Cannery Row

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Analysis: Cannery Row (Cultural References)

John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row (1945) opens with the following declaration:

“Cannery Row in Monterey California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream” (1).

Set in a fictionalized version of Cannery Row in Monterey, California, Steinbeck uses his cast of homeless people, drunks and prostitutes to express profound truths about humanity. 

Abacus (6): A counting device that was used before the creation of calculators.

Belles-lettres (64): A type of literary work, one that is usually expressed in essays, poetry and deals with intellectual subject matter.

Beret (123): A soft hat that has no bill and no brim. Often worn in the military.

Billings, Josh (61): The pen name for Henry Wheeler Shaw, a respected humorist of the 20th century.

Black Marigolds (171): A poem written by E. Powys Mathers.

Bloomer League (140): A baseball league that was comprised primarily of women that started during the early 1900’s.

Carborundum (90): Another name for silicon carbide, which is the sole chemical compound of carbon and silicon.

Chalmers (154): A type of car that was created and sold during the early 1900’s.

Chorea (144): An illness that causes involuntary movement in various parts of the body.

Collier’s (magazine) (139): Founded by Peter Collier, Collier’s Once a Week debuted in 1888 and went on to become one of America’s most popular magazines.

Count Basie (114): A prominent figure during the swing period of jazz, as well as a good example of big band style.

Dadaist (122): An artist or a writer who practiced Dada, a movement that rejected traditional art and contemporary culture.

Daisy Air Rifle (104): A brand of rifle created by the historic Daisy company.

Distemper (134): An infection in dogs that can be diagnosed through symptoms of a runny nose, poor appetite, and coughing.

“Fighting Bob” (111): A reference to Robert M. La Follette Sr. fight against Washington and other politicians who choose to enter WWI.

Ford Model T (61, 106): A truck built by Ford Motor Company.

The Great Depression (16): A result of the 1929 stock market crash, which left many Americans without money or jobs.

Great Fugue (163): A musical work by Beethoven.

Goiter (97): The enlargement of the thyroid gland.

Influenza (89): An infection more commonly known as the “flu.” It was responsible for claiming the lives of millions worldwide before effective vaccines were created to treat and prevent it.

Knights of Columbus (130): A Catholic organization that seeks to aid family members within the organization who are in financial need.

Knights Templar (130): A group of knights who originated in Jerusalem during the year of 1119. Though shrouded in mystery, the Knights Templar are believed to have protected the Holy Grail.

Laudanum (107): A mixture of opium and derivatives of alcohol.

Masonic Lodge (104): A meeting place for Freemasons or former Freemasons.

Mastoids (89): The skull bones that house the ear.

Mastoiditis (90): Mastoiditis occurs when an infection in the middle ear spreads to the mastoids and then causes an infection that produces fevers and headaches.

Monteverdi’s Hor ch’ el Ciel e la Terra (119): A song by the Italian musician Claudio Monteverdi, who lived in the 16th and 17th century.

Novena (88): A prayer that is said over a nine-day period that requests a special favor from God.

“Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915” (111): The 1915 Worlds Fair that was held in San Francisco, California.

Petrarch (119): A famous writer of the 14th century who is credited with being the founding father of Humanism.

Point Lobos (64): A state reserve on the central coast of California in Monterey County.

Prohibition (72): A move by the United States government to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed in the United States through limiting individuals and businesses who sold alcohol.

Purse Seiners (67): Fishing boats equipped to fish with a purse seine, a kind of fishing net.

“Remember the Maine” (111): The sinking of the U.S.S. Maine, which was the catalyst for the Spanish-American War.

Rimbaud (124): A 19th century French writer who is most remembered for his contribution to the symbolist movement.

Robert Louis Stevenson (61): A Scottish author who is most famous for works such as Treasure Island and The Black Arrow.

Saturnalia (112): The week of December 17th-23rd during which a feast was held by the Romans to celebrate their dedication Saturn’s temple.

Scarlatti (129): Last name of Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti, an Italian harpsichordist born during the 17th century who later moved to Spain and continued to practice music there.

Sculpin (135): A kind of small fish.

St. Francis (of Assisi) (144): A saint in the Catholic church who is known for his great love for God, animals, and the sick.

Treasure Island (64): A book written by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Vaudeville (109): A form of American variety entertainment that marked the beginning of popular entertainment as a lucrative business.

“White Sale” (103): A sale either of household goods, or when a store drastically reduces their prices for a short period of time.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

[jenjen4280]

Visited Monterey and hit the aquarium and Cannery Row (Dad’s a Steinbeck fan, so we took a lot of photos for him). Also hit the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, but alas, no vampires were found.

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[eternal--returned]

How can the poem and the stink and the grating noise—the quality of light, the tone, the habit and the dream—be set down alive? When you collect marine animals there are certain fat worms so delicate that they are almost impossible to capture whole, for they break and tatter under the touch. You must let them ooze and crawl of their own will onto a knife blade and then lift them gently into your bottle of sea water. And perhaps that might be the way to write this book to open the page and to let the stories crawl in by themselves.

John Steinbeck ֍ Cannery Row (1945)

[illustration-alcove]

Mick Wiggins’s illustrated book covers for John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and Cannery Row.

[timmurleyart]

Packed in Sardines. 🐟🐟(Mixed media on paper)🟥🟨

[shotbyshe]

Unpopular Opinions on Popular Books | My take on Bunny, The Silent Patient, Ninth House and more

[rabbitcruiser]

American troops occupied Monterey and Yerba Buena, thus beginning the conquest of California on July 7, 1846.

[notforemmetophobes]

Cannery Row (1982) - M. Emmet Walsh as Mack

[photoset #2 of 2]

[fruitarchive]

ed ricketts and john steinbeck – introduction of ‘cannery row’ by susan shillinglaw

[kierrasreads]

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck Review

Plot

Published in 1945, Cannery Row focuses on the acceptance of life as it is: both the exuberance of community and the loneliness of the individual. Drawing on his memories of the real inhabitants of Monterey, California, Steinbeck interweaves the stories of Doc, Henri, Mack and his boys, and the other characters in this world where only the fittest survive, to create a novel that is at once of his most humorous and most poignant works. In her thoughtful introduction, Shillinglaw shows how it expresses, both in style and theme, much that is essentially Steinbeck: "scientific detachment, empathy toward the lonely and depressed...and, at the darkest level...the terror of isolation and nothingness."

Discussion

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did. I live near Cannery Row and it was interesting to read about what Cannery Row was like before it became the tourist destination that it is today. I was able to recognize where the different buildings were in relation to Doc's Lab (which is open to tours. I have yet to do that, but hopefully I will soon)- the next time I go to Cannery Row, I'll have to take the book with me and play a game of "place that building!"

Mack and his boys were sweet and had good intentions, but poor planning skills. I was really rooting for them to redeem themselves, and they did. My favorite part of the book was Doc's birthday party- I was so relieved that Mack and his boys were accepted back into the arms of their friends and neighbors.

All in all, this was a great read! Now, it's on to The Grapes of Wrath.

Rating

5/5

[megbits]

Come revisit some fun chapters in John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row and consider what they say about the nature of home and shelter.

“It leads us to some good questions: do we think we have a right to make a home, even if it doesn’t conform to middle-class housing standards? The Malloys have found and made shelter, and the iron walls of the boiler are no tent. If you were a city official, would you force them out? Why?

And what about the gophers? The right to be, the right to a habitat, the right to be a habitat—our need for shelter is bound up with the broader push for the ability of any living thing, be it a person or a river, to exist for its own sake, and not that of capital-centered economy. But what might it look like to realize those rights?”

[eternal--returned]

Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream. Cannery Row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and little crowded groceries, and laboratories and fophouses. Its inhabitants are, as the man once said, "whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches," by which he meant Everybody. Had the man looked through another peephole he might have said "Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men," and he world have meant the same thing.

John Steinbeck ֍ Cannery Row (1945)

[lipstickstainsacidrain]

[behind-thebrowneyes]

A couple pictures from our family adventure from today. Always love going here. Shall never forget being able to sleep in the kelp room in 5th grade.

[my-life-on-parade]

Mark and I just got back from a getaway in Monterey / Cambria / Carmel / Big Sur. Had a wonderful, relaxing time. Visited Morro Bay, Hearst Castle, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Weather was super foggy, cool and refreshing, a nice break from our desert heat. September, 2024.