John Steinbeck's The Pearl is one of the most popular and most frequently taught of all American novellas. Although it began its life as a brief parable, an allegorical novella about a poor fisherman finding a pearl, becoming greedy, and subsequently suffering a job-like loss, it has remained in the literary conversation for nearly three-quarters of a century for reasons that seem to exceed its original goals. Its Mexican setting, in a location not far from California, gives it a particular interest today as the United States becomes increasingly multicultural. The present volume examines the book from numerous perspectives - historical, cultural, social, economic, ethnic, and literary. This book in the Critical Insights series explores the many factors that have made Steinbeck's short novel so enduringly appealing, examining the history of the work's critical reception while also contributing new insights that have not been pursued before.

For all these reasons and more, this latest contribution to the Critical Insights series may be of special interest to many readers. A collection of four critical context essays are intended to treat Steinbeck's novella:

-From a historical vantage point

-In terms of its critical reception

-Using a specific critical lens

-By comparing and contrasting it with other important works

The Critical Insights Series distills the best of both classic and current literary criticism of the world's most studied literature. Edited and written by some of academia's most distinguished literary scholars, Critical Insights: The Pearl provides authoritative, in-depth scholarship that students and researchers will rely on for years. This volume is destined to become a valuable purchase for all.