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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. A B rief Introduction. Mr. Salinger. A little bit about the author…. Born New Years Day, 1919 Went to public school in Manhattan T ransferred to private school; failed out within a year Then enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy

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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

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  1. The Catcher in the Ryeby J.D. Salinger A Brief Introduction

  2. Mr. Salinger

  3. A little bit about the author… • Born New Years Day, 1919 • Went to public school in Manhattan • Transferred to private school; failed out within a year • Then enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy • Strongest subject was English

  4. A little bit about the author… • Enrolled at New York University for under a year before dropping out • Other than a semester at Ursinus College and an evening class at Columbia University, this is all the higher-education he received

  5. A little bit about the author… • After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was drafted into the army • Part of the army’s counter-intelligence agency • Possible post-traumatic stress disorder: “We may readily guess that the war was responsible for, or at least brought to the surface an alienation from modern existence…”

  6. A little bit about the author… • During the war he managed to publish 10 short stories • In the five years following the war he published 10 more • While he sometimes questioned his own abilities as a writer, he would often refuse suggestions or changes made by editors • Fleeting, disappointing experience with Hollywood

  7. The Catcher in the Rye

  8. The Catcher in the Rye • Published in July 1951 • Original publisher asked for revisions to be made, Salinger refused and took the book to a smaller publisher, Little Brown • Sold over 15 million copies in the 15 years after its original publication • Continues to sell over 20,000 copies a month. Do the math…

  9. The Catcher in the Rye • The title comes from the protagonist Holden Caulfield’s mishearing of an old children’s song: “Gin a body meet a bodyComin’ thro' the rye,Gin a body kiss a body,Need a body cry?” Holden hears: "Gin a body catch a body/ comin’ through the rye."

  10. The Catcher in the Rye • The book is written as if Holden is speaking out loud to someone else • There is flow in the seemingly disjointed ideas and episodes; digressions on details, side-stories • Critical reviews agree that the novel accurately reflected the teenage colloquial speech of the time

  11. The Catcher in the Rye: Criticisms • Contains too much foul language and characters who are immoral • A truly great novel should reference historical, political or economic conditions of its time and “Catcher…” does none of these • Salinger’s opinions and voice are indistinguishable from the that of Holden’s • Holden’s expectation of perfect sincerity and purity of human motive is unrealistic

  12. For chapters 1 and 2 due tomorrow… • Keep in mind the ideas of: • Digression • Contradictions • Self-Awareness • Inference

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