Billy the Poet
08-12-2013, 02:10 AM
Dear folks, I am glad to join this forum!
I am an undergraduate student, studying in Europe. I read the Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger when I was a teenager and from there on it has grown to become probably one of my most favorite books ever. I consider Salinger a master of prose and his style as one among the most distinctive the history of literature ever witnessed. Nonetheless, it hasn't been long after I read several short stories of his from the collection Nine Stories that I began to question the man behind his work, or, to be more precise, the intention of this man in his work.
As we know, Salinger has more or less maintained his theme of childhood and youth and eventual loss of it in the advent of adulthood throughout his repertoire. That is, of course, if we do not count all the possible work he had done from the time he stopped publishing till his death. What struck me in his Nine Stories was the continuous subtext, or perhaps merely my own interpretation of it, that would shine at least once in not all stories, but majority of them. Forgive me, if I am wrong to assume this, but I do find myself struggling with the question that persists in my mind over and over again. I found most of his stories, notably A Perfect Day for Bananafish and For Esme, to subjectively imply the subtext of rather pervasive nature, perhaps. This led to me ask myself if Salinger was only referring to his inner pain and sorrows of having to bid farewell to his childhood and become an adult, while experiencing, perhaps, very traumatizing events during the war (hence, his complicated relationship with what adulthood may bring in one's life), or was he actually having inclination toward what is commonly accepted and considered in our society as inappropriate and taboo and used this to his advantage in writing something that would more likely stupefy readers?
Now, in this thread I do not intend to emphasize any particular details from his personal life, of which little is known anyway and a lot is assumed already. Instead, I would rather like to focus on discussing his writings and find if some of you may agree or disagree with this notion. Again, I do sincerely believe in Salinger's genius and his brighter side. I am starting this thread and asking this question only from the point of view of a young, inexperienced, but curious person that I am. To remind, however, I am not asking the facts from what we know, or think we know, about him. Instead, I would like to know what some of you may say of your personal views on this subject.
Thank you for the attention, I am looking forward to interesting discussion we may have here.
I am an undergraduate student, studying in Europe. I read the Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger when I was a teenager and from there on it has grown to become probably one of my most favorite books ever. I consider Salinger a master of prose and his style as one among the most distinctive the history of literature ever witnessed. Nonetheless, it hasn't been long after I read several short stories of his from the collection Nine Stories that I began to question the man behind his work, or, to be more precise, the intention of this man in his work.
As we know, Salinger has more or less maintained his theme of childhood and youth and eventual loss of it in the advent of adulthood throughout his repertoire. That is, of course, if we do not count all the possible work he had done from the time he stopped publishing till his death. What struck me in his Nine Stories was the continuous subtext, or perhaps merely my own interpretation of it, that would shine at least once in not all stories, but majority of them. Forgive me, if I am wrong to assume this, but I do find myself struggling with the question that persists in my mind over and over again. I found most of his stories, notably A Perfect Day for Bananafish and For Esme, to subjectively imply the subtext of rather pervasive nature, perhaps. This led to me ask myself if Salinger was only referring to his inner pain and sorrows of having to bid farewell to his childhood and become an adult, while experiencing, perhaps, very traumatizing events during the war (hence, his complicated relationship with what adulthood may bring in one's life), or was he actually having inclination toward what is commonly accepted and considered in our society as inappropriate and taboo and used this to his advantage in writing something that would more likely stupefy readers?
Now, in this thread I do not intend to emphasize any particular details from his personal life, of which little is known anyway and a lot is assumed already. Instead, I would rather like to focus on discussing his writings and find if some of you may agree or disagree with this notion. Again, I do sincerely believe in Salinger's genius and his brighter side. I am starting this thread and asking this question only from the point of view of a young, inexperienced, but curious person that I am. To remind, however, I am not asking the facts from what we know, or think we know, about him. Instead, I would like to know what some of you may say of your personal views on this subject.
Thank you for the attention, I am looking forward to interesting discussion we may have here.