I ntroduction to The Catcher in the Rye

1. Introduction to TheCatcher in the Rye Mr. Boskovich English 9, Spring 2013

2. J.D. Salinger Jerome David "J. D." Salinger (1919-2010) was raised in Manhattan, New York City and initially began writing short stories while in high school. Salinger’s 1951 publication of his first and only novel, The Catcher in the Rye was met with immediate acclaim from critics. The Catcher in the Rye still sells 250,000 copies a year.

3. Other Notable Works He followed Catcher with a short story collection, Nine Stories (1953), a volume containing a novella and a short story, Franny and Zooey (1961), and a volume containing two novellas, Raise High the Roof beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963).

4. A Hermetic Lifestyle

5. A Hermetic Lifestyle Following the publication of The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger’s personal life and writing was met with intense public scrutiny. As the notoriety of The Catcher in the Rye grew, Salinger gradually withdrew from public view. In 1953, he moved from his New York apartment to the intimate town of Cornish, New Hampshire. ““Nobody conspired to keep his privacy, but everyone kept his privacy — otherwise he wouldn’t have stayed here all these years…. This community saw him as a person, not just the author of ‘The Catcher in the Rye.’ They respect him. He was an individual who just wanted to live his life.”” – New York Times

6. The Bildungsroman Salinger’s novel is part of a tradition of narrative writing that traces back to the 1700s and German writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (author the tragic play, Faust). The literal translation of the word is ‘novel of formation’, that is a novel that traces the formation of a man from childhood. It is also commonly known as the maturation tale, or the coming-of-age story. -www.englishteaching.co.uk

7. The Bildungsroman Holden is a teenage boy on the road to adulthood who must first come to terms with himself, his ideals and his fears. Holden specifically must deal with his emotional and psychological development throughout the narrative. Take a moment and record any examples of a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age tale from literature or film.

8. The Framed Narrative A Frame Narrative – a literary device used to structure an episodic narrative like The Catcher in the Rye. In Salinger’s novel, the frame is Holden’s recovery in a mental institution. However, within this frame, are a series of other stories that take place – in The Catcher in the Rye the other narratives are the events that take place in flashback as Holden describes how he declined into a state of mental ill health.

9. Framed Narrative Write down any examples of framed narratives from literature, film, or television. Exempli gratia: The Princess Bride

10. Unreliable Narrator An unreliable narrator is a narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised. Is often used to deceive the reader or audience. Most often unreliable narrators are first-person narrators, but sometimes they can also be third-person narrators. Things to look for: Examples of Holden being an untrustworthy narrator. Is he telling the truth or is he mildly delusional?

11. The Picaresque Tale Picaresque: of or relating to a type of fiction in which the hero, a rogue, goes through a series of episodic adventures Began in the 16th century in Spain Includes an assortment of human types from all social classes Features a conflict between the hero's desire to survive and his natural impulses to side with truth and goodness

12. Holden’s Episodic Journey The Catcher in the Rye is considered to be an episodic narrative because there is no clearly definable beginning, middle or end. Instead, the elements of the narrative that Holden re-tells are chosen by him to show the reader how and why he came to be ill. Equally, there is no sense that the novel progresses in an even time-sequence.

13. Circular Narrative Circular Plot: a narrative which returns to the point of its beginning at the end. Similarly to Steinbeck’s cyclical plot in Of Mice and Men, Salinger utilizes a cyclical plot because of the framed narrative. In the case of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is telling, retrospectively, the story of his decline into mental depression from his bed in the psychiatric institution.

14. Themes The loss of innocence Isolation Individualism vs. Society Sexuality and sexual identity Lies and Deceit Consumerism Education Wisdom and Knowledge

15. Things to look for: Note any motifs, additional dominant themes, and all relevant symbols Since Holden is an unreliable, first-person narrator, note any passages that seem unusual (i.e. is Holden delusional, is he lying, exaggerating?). Any allusions to things outside the text (historical dates, locations in New York City, literature, film, etc.).