Comments on: “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger http://andrewblackman.net/2010/02/catcher-in-the-rye-by-j-d-salinger/ Andrew Blackman, literary fiction writer, author of the award-winning novel On the Holloway Road. Sun, 20 May 2012 18:22:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: My non-review of the best books of 2010 | Andrew Blackman http://andrewblackman.net/2010/02/catcher-in-the-rye-by-j-d-salinger/#comment-3564 My non-review of the best books of 2010 | Andrew Blackman Sat, 05 May 2012 01:21:46 +0000 http://andrewblackman.net/?p=935#comment-3564 [...] read mostly contemporary fiction. The only really ‘old’ books on my list, I think, are Catcher in the Rye, The Golden Bough and In the Castle of My [...] [...] read mostly contemporary fiction. The only really ‘old’ books on my list, I think, are Catcher in the Rye, The Golden Bough and In the Castle of My [...]

]]> By: Georgina http://andrewblackman.net/2010/02/catcher-in-the-rye-by-j-d-salinger/#comment-718 Georgina Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:26:04 +0000 http://andrewblackman.net/?p=935#comment-718 I have to admit that I'd never read Catcher in the Rye, until starting it this weekend. (I'm half way through.) It wasn't part of our school curriculum here. In Canada we read authors such as Robertson Davies, W.O. Mitchell and Margaret Atwood - Americana was just never served up abundantly here in the school system. We're a wee bit paranoid about losing our cultural identity to the US. (I think the barn door has already closed on THAT one nevertheless.) The book was always cloaked in conspiracy theories about government surveillance and all I ever heard about it was that is was last thing that John Lennon's assassin was holding onto. (OK, I'll stop with my excuses for not having read it until now.) I'll admit that I saw myself in the opening lines of your review. I was about to write Holden off as a self-absorbed teenager whose angsty vocabulary was limited to "moron", "goddam" and "chrissakes." But this line of your review made me reconsider my initial judgment: "The other great achievement was to communicate a lot of ideas through the mind of a narrator who doesn’t have access to a lot of wisdom or perspective." You're right - he doesn't have a lifetime of experience. If Salinger had given him that type of worldly wisdom, would Holden's voice have been authentic and believable? Probably not. I'm looking forward to reading the remainder this weekend. Thanks for this thoughtful review. - G I have to admit that I’d never read Catcher in the Rye, until starting it this weekend. (I’m half way through.) It wasn’t part of our school curriculum here. In Canada we read authors such as Robertson Davies, W.O. Mitchell and Margaret Atwood – Americana was just never served up abundantly here in the school system. We’re a wee bit paranoid about losing our cultural identity to the US. (I think the barn door has already closed on THAT one nevertheless.) The book was always cloaked in conspiracy theories about government surveillance and all I ever heard about it was that is was last thing that John Lennon’s assassin was holding onto. (OK, I’ll stop with my excuses for not having read it until now.)

I’ll admit that I saw myself in the opening lines of your review. I was about to write Holden off as a self-absorbed teenager whose angsty vocabulary was limited to “moron”, “goddam” and “chrissakes.” But this line of your review made me reconsider my initial judgment:
“The other great achievement was to communicate a lot of ideas through the mind of a narrator who doesn’t have access to a lot of wisdom or perspective.” You’re right – he doesn’t have a lifetime of experience. If Salinger had given him that type of worldly wisdom, would Holden’s voice have been authentic and believable? Probably not.
I’m looking forward to reading the remainder this weekend.
Thanks for this thoughtful review. – G

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