About the lecture

In this module, we provide a broad introduction to the world of ‘Of Mice and Men’, focusing in particular on the changing fortunes of the United States before and after the Great Depression, Steinbeck’s own work as a “bindlestiff”, the themes of desperation, hope and the American Dream, and the significance of the title – taken from a poem by Robert Burns.

About the lecturer

John McRae is Special Professor of Language in Literature Studies and Teaching Associate in the School of English at Nottingham University, and holds Visiting Professorships in China, Malaysia, Spain and the USA. He is co-author of The Routledge History of Literature in English with Ron Carter, and also wrote The Language of Poetry, Literature with a Small 'l' and the first critical edition of Teleny by Oscar Wilde and others.