Gavin Jones je profesor angličtiny na Stanfordovej univerzite, kde v súčasnosti pôsobí ako vedúci katedry. Jones, predtým juniorský vedecký pracovník v Harvardovej Univerzitnej spoločnosti učencov, je autorom diel, ktoré sa zaoberajú dialektom v americkej literatúre a problémami chudoby v americkej literatúre. Jeho publikované články sa zameriavajú na americkú literatúru devätnásteho a dvadsiateho storočia.
John Steinbeck remains enormously popular yet critics tend to dismiss his work as middlebrow and nostalgic. This study produces a Steinbeck for the twenty- first century, a thinker crucial to our understanding of issues such as climate change, growing social and racial inequality, and the relationship between the US and Latin America.
The exploration of nineteenth-century American literature reveals that failure plays a crucial role in shaping the national experience, alongside success. Jones delves into the unconventional literary styles of this era, highlighting how these expressions of failure contribute significantly to the understanding of American identity and culture.