A Reader's Guide to J. D. Salinger

(Hardback)

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Surveys and discusses the entire body of Salinger's work and presents extensive bibliographical information. Few contemporary writers are as enigmatic as J. D. Salinger. Though he shuns publicity, his reclusive habits paradoxically attract the attention of the media. He is best known as the author of The Catcher in the Rye (1951), and his novel continues to be read and studied by secondary school students, undergraduates, and scholars some 50 years after its publication. But he also wrote numerous shorter works, some of which are only now beginning to receive scholarly attention. This reference overviews the entire range of his writings. Since Salinger's life figures prominently in his works, an introductory essay considers autobiographical elements in his writings and foregrounds the chapters that follow. Each of these later chapters examines one of his major works or a collection of related writings. Included are discussions of such topics as the critical reception, themes, narrative structure and point of view, characterization and style, settings and symbols, and interpretations of his texts. Chapters close with lists of works for further reading, and the volume concludes with several appendices and extensive primary and secondary bibliographies.

Reviews

Alsen's excellent book is a vital resource for students, aficionados, and critics....Essential. All collections supporting study of 20th-century American literature.-Choice
With Alsen's book available, teachers of American Studies should see more term papers dealing with the reclusive Salinger. This book provides a solid guide.-JASAT
"With Alsen's book available, teachers of American Studies should see more term papers dealing with the reclusive Salinger. This book provides a solid guide."-JASAT
"Alsen's excellent book is a vital resource for students, aficionados, and critics....Essential. All collections supporting study of 20th-century American literature."-Choice

Author Bio

EBERHARD ALSEN is Professor of English at the State University of New York, Cortland. His previous works include Romantic Postmodernism in American Fiction (1996), along with articles in such journals as American Literature, Studies in Short Fiction, and Emerson Society Quarterly.