John Steinbeck, “The White Quail”

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John Steinbeck’s short story “The White Quail” first appeared in print in

The North American Review

in 1935 and was subsequently reprinted in a collection entitled

The Long Valley

in 1938. Told in six episodes, the story revolves around a typical Steinbeck theme – an identification with the land and nature as a living entity. Unfortunately, this admirable trait is warped by the central character of the story, Mary Teller, an individual who manipulates and controls the world around her, imposing her personal ideas of what is “right” on nature and changing her surroundings to fit that conception. By creating a contrived and artificial atmosphere in her beloved garden, Mary attempts to transform the wild and random into a more regulated and uniform environ. In addition, the…

1855 words

Citation: Meyer, Michael J.. "“The White Quail”". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 November 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=25290, accessed 19 March 2024.]

25290 “The White Quail” 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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