John Steinbeck, The Forgotten Village

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Filmed in the village of Patzcuaro, Mexico, this semi-documentary film/ book grew out of an invitation Steinbeck received during the early months of 1940 to participate in a project with the documentary filmmaker, Herbert Kline. Kline’s intent was to depict the truth regarding the primitive nature of native Mexican / Indians, and both the film and the book seem to suggest that their actions were both backward and dangerous since the natives routinely let superstitions and folk remedies take precedence over advanced medical knowledge, a decision that would ultimately cost a number of young lives in the isolated small villages who were unaware of the scientific progress that urban residents enjoyed. Primarily, the script grew out of Steinbeck’s concern for the health of the natives he…

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Citation: Meyer, Michael J.. "The Forgotten Village". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 August 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=819, accessed 19 March 2024.]

819 The Forgotten Village 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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