Read more
Few contemporary writers are as enigmatic as J. D. Salinger. Best known for
The Catcher in the Rye, which continues to be read and discussed by secondary school students, undergraduates, and scholars, Salinger also wrote numerous shorter works. This reference covers his entire oeuvre. Since Salinger's life figures prominently in his works, an introductory essay considers autobiographical elements in his writings and foregrounds the chapters that follow. Subsequent chapters examine each of his major works, or a collection of related writings.
Included are discussions of such topics as, critical reception, themes, narrative structure and point of view, characterization and style, settings and symbols, and interpretations of his texts. Chapters close with lists of works for further reading, and the volume concludes with several appendices and extensive primary and secondary bibliographies.
List of contents
Preface: Yet there is method in't
Introduction: Salingers Life as Reflected in His Work
The Early Stories
The Inverted Forest
The Catcher in the Rye
Nine Stories
Franny
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters
Zooey
Seymour: An Introduction
Hapworth 16, 1924
The Glass Family Series
Conclusion: The Persistence of Salinger's Reputation
Epilogue: Salinger's Non Sequiters
Appendix I: Index of Salinger's Fictional Characters
Appendix II: A Glass Family Chronology
Appendix III: Salinger's Philosophy of Composition
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Eberhard Alsen
