J.D. Salinger-legendary author of Catcher in the Rye (and other works) died last year a social recluse. What led him to become like this? Perhaps fame was simply "not his cup of tea." He thought the more precise his work became, the more removed he must be from the public eye. Fame was not his thing. He was not one of the many flamboyant peacocks that strut around on our tellys today: he was a sociopath. Even in Catcher in the Rye, Holden expresses his deep hatred of Hollywood and its actors. An author's narrator usually reflects the opinion of the writer himself. This is probably the case in this scenario. If it was me, I might have done the same thing as Salinger. I am not a strutting peacock. Also, he only "wrote for himself." Perhaps he had not wanted to publish his works for a while before he did.
I really don't know what to think about J.D. Before today, I thought he was a genius. Now, I think he is a maniac. He married someone 40 years younger than him, had affairs with people like Joyce Maynard, was put down by his daughter Margaret in her book about him, stayed secluded in Cornish, NH, and had an interesting history with women. But with his great works, he is OK.
How was Catcher in the Rye viewed in the 1950's? It was received well, but had more critics than his other works put together. Libraries have and still ban the book because of its sexual allusions, language, smoking, etc. When John Lennon was shot, the shooter had the novel in his pocket, making many skittish with efforts to ban the book at school. Still, many high schools teach it.
So, what about popular culture? An example of the novel affecting culture is this: screw up became much more popular after the book. Many movies also allude to the book (Salinger refused to let the book become a theatrical adaption).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_references_to_the_novel_The_Catcher_in_the_Rye
http://www.shmoop.com/jd-salinger/recluse.html
http://www.amazon.com/review/R137WGUQSMZA5R/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R137WGUQSMZA5R
I really don't know what to think about J.D. Before today, I thought he was a genius. Now, I think he is a maniac. He married someone 40 years younger than him, had affairs with people like Joyce Maynard, was put down by his daughter Margaret in her book about him, stayed secluded in Cornish, NH, and had an interesting history with women. But with his great works, he is OK.
How was Catcher in the Rye viewed in the 1950's? It was received well, but had more critics than his other works put together. Libraries have and still ban the book because of its sexual allusions, language, smoking, etc. When John Lennon was shot, the shooter had the novel in his pocket, making many skittish with efforts to ban the book at school. Still, many high schools teach it.
So, what about popular culture? An example of the novel affecting culture is this: screw up became much more popular after the book. Many movies also allude to the book (Salinger refused to let the book become a theatrical adaption).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_references_to_the_novel_The_Catcher_in_the_Rye
http://www.shmoop.com/jd-salinger/recluse.html
http://www.amazon.com/review/R137WGUQSMZA5R/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R137WGUQSMZA5R
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