Critical Insights: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey

Set in Oregon psychiatric hospital in the early 1960s, Ken Kesey's pivotal novel tackled ideas of institutionalization in a time when mental illness was highly stigmatized. Essays in this volume include a survey of the novel's critical reception, a comparison of Cuckoo's Nest to The Grapes of Wrath, and an examination of themes such as race, gender roles, and early American humor.