Journal

• What does it mean to be teenager in today’s society?

• How do you think this may differ from teens in the past?–Think about what you can do now as a teen as compared to your parents or grandparents.

Teens in the 1950’s• Our main character, Holden Caulfield, in

Catcher in the Rye is 16 years old. He is a teen in the 1950’s.

• What do you think his life might be like? Do you know anything about life in the 1950’s?

• Watch the video: • What are some specific things you noticed

about the 1950’s?• How does the teen in this movie compare

to your life as a teen?

J.D. Salinger• What was the most interesting or surprising thing you read?

• TWO questions you have for him

Catcher in the Rye

& the 1950s

The Catcher in the RyeBringing you America’s most popular

loner teenager since 1951

The Catcher in the Rye

• Author: J.D. Salinger• Publication date: 1951, although Salinger was

working on the novel for the last half of the 1940s, after he returned from his service in World War II.

• Alienation is a major theme in this work, and most of Salinger’s other pieces.

• Alienation also seemed to be a theme in his own life.• HOW???

What does the cover of the book make you think about??

Postmodernism/Contemporary• 1946-Present

– What event might have led to a change in our literature?

• Heavy reliance on techniques like fragmentation, paradox, questionable narrators, stream of consciousness writing (lots of writing to explore inner thoughts and inner consciousness), intertextuality (a story within a story)

• New styles: found poems, concrete poems, confessional and performance poetry

• New subjects being explored:– Media influences– Popular culture– Culture and gender and how it shapes the individual– People learning to cope with problems through communication

• Notable postmodern texts/authors– Catch-22 by Joseph Heller– Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut– Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson– Dave Eggers' "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius“– Anything by Willaim Faulkner

Catcher and Connections to Past Literary Movements

• Realism: use of real teen language, its use of social criticism where it is due, and its presentation of real problems which adolescents face in the process of achieving

• Romanticism: its view of the innocence of childhood, its quest for truth, idealizing the past, and its emphasis on individual discovery and growth.

Genre• Bildungsroman Novel: (basically a German word that

means generally the same thing as a “coming of age” novel, but has a few more specifics included.)– The story of a single individual's growth and development

within the context of a defined social order.– The growth process, at its roots is a quest story, and has

been described as both "an apprenticeship to life" and a "search for meaningful existence within society.“

– Normally about the early years of somebody's life, exploring the development of his or her character and personality

• While reading look for examples of this in Catcher. We will come back to this idea later on!

Catcher in the Rye: #1 Banned Book in America• Between 1961 and 1982, The Catcher in the Rye was the most

censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States.

• In 1981, it was both the most censored book and the second most taught book in public schools in the United States.

• Banned because of: vulgar language, sexual references, blasphemy, undermining of family values and moral codes, Holden’s being a poor role model, encouragement of rebellion, and promotion of drinking, smoking, lying, and promiscuity.

• Mark David Chapman, who assassinated John Lennon, was carrying the book when he was arrested.

• John Hinckley, Jr., who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was also reported to have been obsessed with the book.

1950’s: The classic American family

Family roles were fairly traditional in Salinger’s day:•Dad was the sole provider and the head of the household•Mom was most often a homemaker – cooking, cleaning and taking care of her husband and kids•After WW II some women started to work more.

Money• After World War II ended (1945) the victorious

war effort left the U.S. much more financially stable…people had money again! Woohoo!– And what do people do when they have money?

Spend it!

• In the late 1940s/early 50s, there were two consumer products that helped to create our modern concept of the teenager:– The television– The automobile

Hmmmm…

• So, how would an increase in TV and car purchases change American families?

• And more specifically, how would these purchases impact teenagers?– (insert brainstorm here)

TVs/Hollywood

• Advertising split Americans into demographics (men, women, old, young, teen, etc.)

• “Family time” changed• Different shows appealed to different ages• Attractive people – the pin-ups

CarsMore accessible + more affordableDetract from familySense of freedomImages of “cool”Emergence of fast foodPossibilities for drinking + sex Same as today???

The new teenager

• So all in all, the 1950s saw the birth of “the modern teenagers,” as we think of them

• Holden Caulfield, the narrator of The Catcher in the Rye, is arguably the first modern teenager of literature.

Essential questions as we read Catcher:a. Is Holden mentally disturbed? Or just a

typical teen?b. Similarities/differences between Holden’s issues

and the issues of today’s teens?c. How can alienation affect a person's identity?d. Is it inevitable (unavoidable) that we conform to

the world and society around us?e. What happens when a person does not accept

and does not play by the rules of the dominant culture?

f. What does it mean to stay true to yourself?