THE CATCHER IN THE RYE INTRODUCTION ENGLISH 10 (TAKE NOTES UNDER “NOVEL NOTES”)

J.D. SALINGER Born January 1, 1919 in New York City Is known for reclusive nature Married twice and had two kids His last published work was in 1965 and last interview in 1980 In 1953, Salinger moved from NYC and led a secretive/secluded life, only publishing one new story before his death on January 27 th, 2010 (aged: 91)—was known for being a recluse

POST-HIGH SCHOOL Went to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania Attended Ursinus College in Pennsylvania Served in the army for World War II from Participated in the Normandy Invasion and Battle of the Bulge during his service Ended up hospitalized over war trauma

WRITING CAREER Salinger met Professor Whit Burnett at Colombia University in New York Burnett inspired him to begin publishing articles to famous magazines In 1946, Salinger tried to publish a collection of 20 of his short stories, named The Young Folks The Young Folks failed to publish, and Burnett and Salinger ended their friendship

PUBLICATIONS Salinger’s story, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” was published in The New Yorker in 1947 which began his fame Salinger published seven separate short stories about the Glasses, a family from this story The Catcher in the Rye (1951) Nine Stories (1953) (collection of short stories) Franny and Zooey (1961) Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963) Three Early Stories (2014) (more short stories) He wrote many works that went unpublished in his later years as well

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE In 1951, Salinger’s most famous book, The Catcher in the Rye, was published to sales success and neutral critical reviews Has sold over 65 million copies The Catcher in the Rye eventually became very well- received and is now considered a classic. Historically banned for vulgar language and sexual content

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE (CONTINUED) Was written partially based on Salinger’s life and struggles Portrays ideas of postmodernism Blurring lines of reality Written as a narrative Humorless/straightforward—digs deep into human psyche

HOLDEN’S JOURNEY Holden Caulfield, the main character and 1 st person narrator, is expelled from his private school in the late 1940s He takes readers on his couple-day journey across New York City He is 16 years old, listens to jazz music (the 50s equivalent of listening to rock/was rebellious)

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE NOVEL Things to be aware of that are unique to the novel: The plot is narrated through a “stream of consciousness” style It has its own set of slang used by the narrator that was more common at the time (ex: “phonies,” “that killed me,” etc.) There are many aspects of the novel that hold symbolism, some very basic ones dealing with what it meant to be wealthy at the time (the car, the supermarket, home appliances, the suburbs).

THINGS TO KNOW (CONTINUED) Themes to look for: Youthful innocence and loss, alienation/isolation of the individual in modern society, failure to live up to parental/societal expectations, longing for truth, and adolescent misfits. Look at Holden (narrator) as if you are a psychologist and try to figure out what is wrong with him—it is okay if you become annoyed with him at times