Background and Literary Thought

Existentialism Explanation  This term is related to the psychology of Karl Jung who holds that behind each individual’s “unconscious”(blocked off residue of his/her past) lies the “collective unconscious” of the human race---blocked off memory of our racial past, even our pre human experiences.

The Unconscious  The “unconscious” is shaped by the repeated experience of our ancestors, and is expressed through myths, religions, literature and dreams.

Existentialism and the Literary Critic  The literary critic applies the term to an image, a descriptive detail, a plot pattern, or a character type that occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore; therefore, believed to evoke profound emotions in the reader because it awakens a primordial image in his/her unconscious memory; thus, calls into play illogical, but strong responses (the archetype).  The archetypal critic tends to see each work of literature as a portion of the total human experience.

Point of View (P.o.V): In Literature  Point of View is how you perceive your environment. In a literary sense, the author’s point of view is determined by the way he/she manipulates reality.

2 Types of P.o.V  Romantic P.o.V: manipulates the character, conflict, and environment so that events are resolved (life makes sense).  Ironic P.o.V(existential): life makes no “real” sense---only the “sense you choose to make of it. Deals with the absurd series of events that each person tries to make sense of.

Things to think about…  WHAT IS REALITY?  “Reality” is the way people perceive the world around them.  Does everyone see or think reality the same way?  Objective Reality: “we” share it equally -physical presence  Subjective Reality: the individualized way each of us “sees” experiences.

More to think about…  ARE YOU NORMAL?  What is NORMAL?  -What everybody thinks is average  -Society, in general, views “normal” as everybody being the same  -Normal is situational  -Can the same reaction be normal and abnormal?  -Is normal an individual response or is it a collective?  WHAT IS BEHAVIOUR?  -behaviour is the way in which someone acts, or the way someone acts towards someone/something.  -Behaviour, in clinical terms, an organism’s response to external stimuli. Behaviour depends upon FORMER experience.  WHAT IS STIMULUS?  -stimulus is something that causes a response to any sort of environmental activity or change.

The Catcher in the Rye  Published in 1951  Written by J.D. Salinger  Holden Caulfield, 16 is the protagonist  Written in 1 st person, existential point of view  Set in 1950s, first chapters are set at an all boys boarding school Pencey Prep, rest of the book takes place in New York City

More About Holden…  Sees everyone and society as fake or phony(he uses this word excessively)  He is smart, well-read, and handsome, but he is viewed as a failure and loner  He has been expelled from several prestigious schools  He is from an upper class family, he is the 2 nd oldest of 4  He often feels like he does not fit in, he gets depressed, he smokes, wants to drink, and uses profanity frequently

About J.D. Salinger  He was a recluse---never went out of his house, lived in seclusion for more than 50 years.  Died Jan. 27, 2010 at 91  thought at one time to be the most important American writer to emerge since World War II  sympathetic understanding of adolescence and its fierce if alienated sense of morality and distrust of the adult world, the novel struck a nerve in cold war America  The Catcher in the Rye continues to sell more than 250,000 copies a year in paperback.