J.D. Salinger Catcher in the Rye
Information on the author
Name J.D. Salinger
Date of birth/place of birth January 1, 1919, in New York City
Family background married to
Claire Douglas, daughter of a British art critic, until 1966; they had two
girls
Education Salinger graduated from Valle
Forge Military Academy, and after a five-month trip to Vienna, took night
classes at Columbia University
Famous works The Catcher in the Rye
Additional information Salinger served in the army from 1942 to 1944. After he came back, he was hospitalized after a
nervous breakdown
His work The Catcher in the Rye is, up until
today, has sold more than 120 million times and has become a fixed part of the
curriculum in school
Information on the epoch
Postmodernism
Date: 1945- today
Background information:
Postmodernism is located right after WWII, when soldiers came back from war and
were disillusioned and in a crisis. Another questions raised during that time
was the boundary between reality and fiction.
Main stylistic devices: During
that time intertexuality and metafiction are the most influential stylistic devices.
Intertexuality means that the text refers to other texts and metafiction means
that the text is self- referential and plays with the fact that the text knows
that it is a text, which keeps the reader aware that the text is fiction.
Famous authors and books: J.D.
Salinger Catcher in the Rye; Woody Allen;
Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire; Allen Ginsberg Howl; John Irving
Information on The Catcher in the
Rye
Title: The Catcher in the Rye
Publishing date/ place: 1951 in New York
Reactions: The actual target audience was adults, but since the book has themes like
growing up and all the problems that come along with it, it became even more
popular among young teenagers and because of that the main character has become
a symbol for teenage rebellion. The book was not that popular when it first
appeared, it was even banned from the classroom in 1961 until 1982. After that
it became a fixed part of the school curriculum.
Summary: The book
talks about the events that led to the nervous breakdown of main character Holden
Caulfield. The story is directly narrated by him. The story begins at his
school; he is about to leave for Christmas break. He will not come back to this
school, because he was expelled, since he failed four of his five subjects in
school. Since he cannot bear to stay at the school any longer, he secretly
takes a midnight train to his hometown New York. There he stays in a hotel, because he does not want his parents to know yet that he was expelled. He then meets
several different types of people and secretly visits his little sister.
During his stay he is drunk most of the time. After taking his little sister to
the Central Park Zoo Holden ends the story with not wanting to talk about his
current situation.
Salinger, J.D.: The Catcher in the Rye. Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books Ltd, 1986
http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc9.htm
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