Postmodernismand Catcher in the Rye

Postmodernism• Applies to post WWII literature• Shows the effects of American morale after two World Wars

within 25 years of each other, especially considering the brutality of the following:– Nazi totalitarianism and mass extermination– The threat of total destruction by the atomic bomb– The continual devastation of the natural environment– The cold environment created by mass population and increasing technology

• Is a continuation (sometimes to extremes) of the experimentation of Modernism

• Breaks away from elitism of Modernist "High Art" • Blends literary and stylistic styles, can be a mix of

serious and playful at the same time (dark comedy is a contemporary form of it, for example)

• Is often paralleled to pop art and op art• Questions the foundations of our accepted modes of thought Reveals the meaninglessness of existence and the underlying

abyss or void or nothingness on which our supposed security supposedly rests.

(FYI) • “Pop art” is art that uses items that are familiar (popular) to the masses:

• “Op art” uses optical illusions:

• “Plop art” is art that is created to be placed in front of buildings or other public venues.

• The term refers to the idea that the “art” is often “plopped” down in front of a building without care or concern for how it relates to its surroundings, often at the expense of the public:

I want you to think of me and of this class whenever you see

“plop art” in the future. Now that you are aware of it, you

will see it everywhere.

It’s not really related to Postmodernism, but it’s kind of fun to think about and to look

for.

J.D. Salinger• Born in NYC in 1919• Son of a wealthy cheese importer

• grew up in fashionableManhattan

• Spent youth being shuttled between various prep schools

• Attended a number of colleges (including Columbia) but didn’t graduate from any

• Became interested in writing while in college

• Fought in WWII—wrote about Holden (protagonist) the whole time

• Published The Catcher in the Rye in 1951 (his only full-length novel)

The Catcher in the Rye• Includes many events from Salinger’s life– Prep school to prep school– Threatened with military school– Knew a Columbia student

• These details are transplanted into a post-WWII setting

• He wrote a lot of it during his time serving in WWII

• Published at a time when the burgeoning American industrial economy made the nation prosperous

• Entrenched social rules served as a code of conformity for the younger generation

• Catcher provoked controversy (and continues to do so)– Slang– Profanity– Adolescent sexuality

• Was (and still is) banned in some communities

• Though controversial, it appeals to a great many people

• Taps into emotions in an unprecedented way

• A tale of an individual’s alienation within a heartless world

Stream of Consciousness

• A literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur, without regard to logical argument or narrative sequence

• In Psychology, it is defined as the conscious experience of an individual regarded as a continuous, flowing series of images and ideas running through the mind

Bildungsroman• The German word Bildungsroman means "a novel of

formation": that is, a novel of someone's growth from childhood to maturity.

• Such novels usually follow similar patterns:– A Bildungsroman is, most generally, the story of a single

individual’s growth and development within the context of a defined social order. The growth process, at its roots a quest story, has been described as both “an apprenticeship to life” and a “search for meaningful existence within society.”

– To spur the hero or heroine on to their journey, some form of discontent must jar them at an early stage away from the home or family setting.

– The process of maturity is long, arduous, and gradual, consisting of repeated clashes between the protagonist’s needs and desires and the views and judgments enforced by an unbending social order.

– Eventually, the spirit and values of the social order become manifest in the protagonist, who is then accommodated into society. The novel ends with an assessment by the protagonist of himself and his new place in that society.

– The character is generally making a smooth movement away from conformity. Major conflict is self vs. society or individuality vs. conformity.

– There are themes of exile or escape

Holden Caulfield• Protagonist of novel• Seems to stand for young people everywhere

• Finds himself pressured – To grow up – To live his life according to the rules of society

– To disengage from meaningful human connection

– To restrict his individuality to conform to the norm

Holden Caulfield• Finds himself poised between childhood and adulthood

• A “caul” is a membrane that covers the head of a fetus during birth

• The “caul” in his name may symbolize the blindness of childhood or the inability of the child to see the complexity of the adult world

• “Hold-on Caul-field” (he wants to hold on to his innocence)

Holden• A cynical and jaded narrator• Feels surrounded by ugliness and hypocrisy

• Tries to protect himself from the disappointment of adulthood

• Uncomfortable with his own weaknesses– At time displays as much phoniness, meanness, and superficiality as others around him

– Is quite peculiar• Passes extreme judgment• Criticizes people

– Who are boring– Who are insecure– Who are crass

Holden• Also fixated on sexuality

– Spends much of the novel trying to lose his virginity

– Thinks sex should happen between people who care deeply about and respect each other

– Is upset when he realizes that sex can be casual

Themes• Alienation (self-protection)

• Painfulness of growing up

• Phoniness

Be on the lookout for these motifs:

• Loneliness• Relationships/intimacy• Lying/deception• No sun• Crossing roads• Disappearing• Falling down

J.D. SalingerFollowing the commercial success of Catcher, Salinger became reclusive.

For some time in the 1950’s, he lived in New Hampshire and interacted with students, but upon the publication of an interview in a high school newspaper, he withdrew and cut off

contact.He didn’t publish anything new since

1965 and wasn’t interviewed after 1980.

Weird Salinger Facts• Drank his own urine for medicinal purposes

• Practiced acupuncture on his children, but used wooden dowels rather than needles (?)

• Spent a lot of time in an “orgone box,” a 5x2x2 wood and sheet metal box widely believed to help the occupant to absorb the life essence of the universe (and act as a powerful sexual stimulant)

• His son Matthew played Captain America in a straight-to-video feature film about the superhero.

A rare photo of Salinger (on the cover of a memoir written by his

daughter Margaret)

He had two children: Margaret and Matt

Salinger died on January 28, 2010. He was 91 years old.

It is reported that he continued to write up to the time of his death, but he was reclusive and didn’t

grant interviews.

From cnn.com 1/29/10J.D. Salinger, author of "The Catcher in the Rye" and other

books, has died, according to his literary agent, Phyllis Westberg.

The author died Wednesday at age 91 of natural causes at his home in New Hampshire, according to a family

statement that Westberg provided Thursday."Despite having broken his hip in May, his health had

been excellent until a rather sudden decline after the new year," the statement said. "He was not in any pain

before or at the time of his death."Salinger has long been known for his reclusiveness, and

"in keeping with his life long, uncompromising desire to protect and defend his privacy there will be no

service," the statement said.

"The family asks that people's respect for him, his work, and his privacy be extended to them, individually and collectively, during this time."

The author has written other novels and stories, but "The Catcher in the Rye" is considered one

of the great American novels of the 20th century, a classic about a cynical and alienated

young man named Holden Caulfield."Salinger had remarked that he was in this world

but not of it. His body is gone but the family hopes that he is still with those he loves,

whether they are religious or historical figures, personal friends or fictional characters," the

statement said."He will be missed by the few he was close to every bit as much as by the readers who loved

reading him."

It is assumed that he is buried in New Hampshire, but some people believe that he was cremated. Either way, it’s a well-kept secret,

so no grave site photo is available.