In Dubious Battle

E90112

In Dubious Battle is a 1936 novel by John Steinbeck that portrays the struggles and moral complexities of labor organizing during a fruit pickers’ strike in California.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf novel
work of fiction
author John Steinbeck
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
depicts union organizing tactics
violence during labor disputes
explores the ethics of political manipulation
Völkerpsychologie
surface form: the psychology of crowds
filmAdaptationDirector James Franco
filmAdaptationReleaseYear 2016
firstEditionFormat hardcover
focusesOn agricultural labor
migrant workers
followedBy Of Mice and Men
The Grapes of Wrath
genre political novel
proletarian novel
social realist novel
hasAdaptation In Dubious Battle (2016 film)
inspiredBy California agricultural labor conflicts
literaryMovement Realism
surface form: American realism
literarySignificance early exploration of Steinbeck’s social themes
mainTheme class struggle
collective action
labor organizing
moral ambiguity
power and exploitation
majorCharacter Doc Burton
Joy
London, England
surface form: London

Mac McLeod
mediaType print
narrativePerspective third-person narration
organizationDepicted the Party
originalLanguage English
partOf John Steinbeck’s labor trilogy
protagonist Jim Nolan
publicationYear 1936
publisher Covici-Friede
settingCountry United States of America
surface form: United States
settingLocation California, United States
surface form: California
settingRegion Torgas Valley
subject fruit pickers’ strike
labor strike
timePeriodOfSetting Great Depression
surface form: Great Depression era
titleAlludesTo “In dubious battle on the plains of Heaven”
titleOrigin Paradise Lost
surface form: John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

John Steinbeck notableWork In Dubious Battle
Of Mice and Men precededBy In Dubious Battle
Tortilla Flat precedesInAuthorBibliography In Dubious Battle