J. D. Salinger And The Catcher in the Rye
Jerome David Salinger • Born - January 1, 1919 - Manhattan, NY • Parents were wealthy • Didn’t have a great relationship with his dad • Went to prep schools, military school, Europe, and college in NY
Salinger’s Early Love Life Salinger fell in love with Oona O’Neill --> But she left him for Charlie Chaplin --> He was much older than she was!
Experiences in War • Drafted into the Infantry in WWII • Involved in the invasion of Normandy • Involved in a useless battle at Hürtgenwald – Witnessed atrocities of war • Suffered from PTSS (post-traumatic stress syndrome), a. k. a. “shell shock”
Other Relationships • Sylvia - 1945 - divorced • Claire Douglas - 1955 - divorced in 1967 – Two children, Margaret and Matt • Joyce Maynard - 1970 s - girlfriend (broke up because she was much younger and wanted children; he thought he was too old) • Colleen O’Neill - late 1980 s (married) - she was 40 years younger than Salinger
Publications • Early short stories - published in magazines – – Story Saturday Evening Post Esquire The New Yorker • Stories eventually published in collections – Franny and Zooey – Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters – Nine Stories
Publications • The Catcher in the Rye – Salinger’s only novel (that we know of) – Published in 1951 – Immediate success - quickly reached #4 on the New York Times Bestseller List – Book-of-the-Month Club selection – Never out of print - still sells 250, 000 copies annually
Catcher Controversy • One of the most censored books of the 20 th century (#13 on the ALA list of most frequently challenged books of 1990 -2000) – – – Language Sexual themes Alcohol Blasphemy Undermining family values Holden being a poor role model • At one point, Catcher was the most censored and second most taught book in the USA
Catcher Movie? • Nope, sorry! Salinger won’t allow it! • “Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut” --> My Foolish Heart – Took many liberties and changed the story drastically – Salinger has since refused to allow any film adaptations of his work
Where is He Now? • Salinger hasn’t published anything in over 40 years (he’s 89!) • Lives as a recluse in New Hampshire • In his last interview, he said that he loves to write, but he writes for himself only
Interesting Tidbit • In Margaret Salinger’s memoir, she revealed that J. D. Salinger drank his own urine. • He did this for medicinal purposes
Some Lit Stuff • Bildungsroman - coming of age story • Colloquialism - informal word or phrase, more for conversation than written work • Slang - very informal word or phrase • Flashback - scene in a work that is set in an earlier time than the main story • Dialogue - conversation between characters
More Lit Stuff • Symbol - a material object that represents an abstract idea – Colors – Animals – Weather – Clothing • Which of these (and more) can you find in Catcher?
Mark David Chapman Then this morning I went to the bookstore and bought The Catcher in the Rye. I'm sure the large part of me is Holden Caulfield, who is the main person in the book. The small part of me must be the Devil.
Mark David Chapman I went to the building. It's called the Dakota. I stayed there until he came out and asked him to sign my album. At that point my big part won and I wanted to go back to my hotel, but I couldn't. I waited until he came back. He came in a car. Yoko walked past first and I said hello, I didn't want to hurt her.
Mark David Chapman Then John came and looked at me and pointed me. I took the gun from my coat pocket and fired at him. I can't believe I could do that. I just stood there clutching the book. I didn't want to run away. I don't know what happened to the gun. I remember Jose kicking it away. Jose was crying and telling me to please leave. I felt so sorry for Jose. Then the police came and told me to put my hands on the wall and cuffed me.
Mark David Chapman • John Lennon was quoted as saying, “We’re more popular than Jesus Christ now. ” • Chapman was angered by this and the fact that Lennon was preaching love and peace but had millions of dollars and was a celebrity • Chapman read Catcher and felt that he WAS Holden Caulfield (he wanted to legally change his name to prove it)
Mark David Chapman • Chapman became obsessed with killing John Lennon, and he finally did so outside Lennon’s hotel on December 8, 1980 • After he shot Lennon, he waited for the police by pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, trying to read The Catcher in the Rye
Mark David Chapman • When looking back on meeting John Lennon’s son, Chapman said, ‘"He was the cutest little boy I ever saw. It didn't enter my mind that I was going to kill this poor young boy's father and he won't have a father for the rest of his life. I mean, I love children. I'm the Catcher in the Rye. "
