ENG1501 - Foundations In English Literary Studies (ENG1501)
Summary
Summary ENG1501 The catcher in the Rye mindmap
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ENG1501 - Foundations In English Literary Studies (ENG1501)
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University Of South Africa (Unisa)
mind maps for The catcher in the Rye in preparation for the exam for ENG1501 - Foundations In English Literary Studies. To be used in conjunction with the approved study guide
ENG1501 - Foundations In English Literary Studies (ENG1501)
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In the novel he shifts to using the first person narrative. Note Holden Caulfield’s anti-war feelings and preoccupation
Narrator: The novel is set in 1949
Great changes were occurring in American with death and suicide throughout the novel.
• The voice that tells the story in a work of fiction
• This might (or might not) be the voice of one of the society and culture:
characters. • US participation in World War II The social and cultural Holden’s “hatred of
• Most often, the narrator uses one of two pronouns to tell ended the Great Depression. context of the novel: post- ‘phonies’ can be
the story: “I” or “he/she/it”. • The atomic bomb had forced the war America related to the ethos
• If the narrator uses “I”, we say the narrative is told in the Japanese to surrender, but spelled
of post-war
first person. the beginning of a new age. Flashback - a scene or
America which was
• If “he/she/it” is used, we say it is a third person narrative. event from the past that
appears in a narrative out preoccupied with
An omniscient narrator is one who (pretends that he or she)
of chronological order, to matters of secrecy
knows everything about the world of the narrative, including the
fill in information or and security”.
thoughts and feelings of all the characters
explain something in the
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE present.
Conformity:
J.D SALINGER Conformity was also encouraged through
The social and cultural
context of the novel: post- popular culture. The main form of mass
war America entertainment was the cinema. Holden reveals
ambivalence towards films: he regards them as
fake, but they are intensely influential in his life.
The novel is set in 1949
Great changes were Note Holden Holden’s willingness to
occurring in American Caulfield’s anti-war Women were actively discouraged from confront taboo subjects
society and culture: feelings and and the novel’s social
following careers.
• US participation in preoccupation with criticism offers post-
World War II ended the death and suicide Men were also pressured to conform, to war America an
Great Depression. throughout the The Catcher in the Rye was
marry and father children and to have a unexpected image of
• The atomic bomb had novel. published in July 1951. steady career. itself.
forced the Japanese to
surrender, but spelled Salinger has published five Marriage was as important for men as it
the beginning of a new novellas and 30 short stories. was for women as it fitted with the norms
age. of sexual identity as well as those of values
Salinger struggled to complete and ambition.
the novel and it took him 10
years to complete. Consider Holden’s conflict of wanting to
Holden’s “hatred of ‘phonies’ can be related to belong (to those he loves in particular) but
the ethos of post-war America which was his rejection of conformity (expressed in his
preoccupied with matters of secrecy and wearing of the red hunting cap).
security”.
, Stream of “coming-of-age” (bildungsroman) novel The novel follows the emotional,
The Catcher in the Rye is typical of Salinger’s style in consciousness writing The main character, Holden Caulfield, is moral and spiritual growth of the
that it is colloquial, humorous and intimate. that tries to imitate moving from a state of “innocence” (in hero at different stages of his life,
childhood, adolescence) to one of and his defining in relation to the
the flow of thoughts
“experience” (in adulthood). other characters.
and feelings within a A Bildungsroman is a novel which is an
character’s mind and account of the youthful development of a
Language, style and Intertextuality is the relationship
emotions hero. It describes the processes by which
form that exists between different
maturity is achieved through the various ups
texts, especially literary texts, or
and downs of life.
the reference in one text to
Features of his writing: others.
• Idiosyncratic use of dialogue – some of this novel
Genre
is almost stream-of-consciousness, with Holden’s
thoughts running on in a seemingly random
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE Format of a Bildungsroman:
manner from one subject to the next. He has 1. A Bildungsroman is the story of a single individual's growth and
peculiar mannerisms which make his speech J.D SALINGER development within the context of a defined social order. The
idiosyncratic (distinctive, peculiar to him, almost growth process, at its roots a quest story, has been described as
eccentric at times). both "an apprenticeship to life" and a "search for meaningful
• The whole text is dominated by the use of dialogue. existence within society.
The setting is secondary and not always described in 2. To spur the hero/heroine on to their journey, some form of loss or
detail. discontent must jar them at an early stage away from the home or
• Salinger uses italics to echo the spoken word in his family setting.
writing, and accent and dialect are used to indicate 3. The process of maturity is long, arduous, and gradual, consisting
class status. of repeated clashes between the protagonist's needs and desires
• Although Holden uses the slang of the day and swears and the views and judgments enforced by an unbending social
a great deal, like most adolescents, his speech is order.
generally standard English, if American. The working 4. Eventually, the spirit and values of the social order become
class people he meets reveal their social status through manifest in the protagonist, who is then accommodated into society.
Narration and point of view
their dialect. The novel ends with an assessment by the protagonist of himself
• Intertextuality is also a feature of Salinger’s writing. In and his new place in that society.
this novel there are many examples of direct
references and allusions to other literary texts. These Salinger uses a first-person
help to throw further light on the themes and issues in narrator in this novel. Another of his idiosyncrasies is the use of exaggeration
the novel.
It is very important to Holden that he
In fact, Holden may be regarded as an unreliable narrator,
Conventionally, the use of the first-person narrator should not be seen as disingenuous by
often inaccurate in his judgements of both himself and
creates a close bond between reader and narrator. the reader and so he constantly tries to
others in the novel.
If, however, the narrator is not telling the truth, it is prove his credibility.
difficult for the reader to judge what is happening in
His narrative is a mass of contradictions
the text.
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