This collection of critical studies reevaluates J.D. Salinger’s landmark novel through various mid-twentieth-century historical and literary lenses. Jack Salzman organizes the volume to address the cultural reception of Holden Caulfield, moving beyond simple character analysis toward a broader examination of the book’s 1951 publication context. Contributors analyze the linguistic choices in the text, the specific socioeconomic environment of post-World War II New York, and the evolution of the adolescent narrative as a distinct American subgenre. The essays evaluate how the protagonist’s rejection of adult artifice serves as a critique of mid-century social conformity.
Students of American literature and instructors teaching Salinger will find this volume a useful resource for academic research. Readers gain a technical understanding of the novel’s stylistic structure and its place within the canon of modern fiction. The book provides a historical framework for understanding the controversy surrounding the novel's censorship in schools. Those who finish these essays will walk away with a precise vocabulary for discussing the aesthetic and social implications of Holden Caulfield’s alienation.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1991
- Language
- EN
