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| Classic Literature Discuss the classics like Poe, H.G. Wells, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Emily Dickinson etc. Read them at Literature Vault. |
10-07-2007, 03:35 PM
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#1
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Scribe
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Northern New Jersey
Gender: Male
Posts: 55
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Catcher In The Rye
What do you guys think of Catcher In The Rye? I read it once in high school but I did not really get into it. But I read it again in the summer and I loved it.
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10-16-2007, 07:21 PM
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#2
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Addict
Join Date: May 2007
Location: On your mother
Gender: Male
Posts: 176
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The book is nothing short of brilliant. It takes a while for it to sink in for most people, and it gets better everytime you read it. The lack of appeal it has for most people has to do with the "OK, when is something going to happen" mindset. But the characterization is fantastic, and the whole time you come to realize that the protagonistic is really messed up in the head.
Haven't read it for a few years, I really should break that out.
__________________
The organ is grinding but the monkey won't dance.
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10-16-2007, 10:48 PM
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#3
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Scribe
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Northern New Jersey
Gender: Male
Posts: 55
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Yea, it did take me a while for the book to really sink in and realize that Holden was truly messed up with all the events that happened to him in his life.
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10-17-2007, 06:27 PM
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#4
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Addict
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 117
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Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is quite possibly the most abused and misunderstood piece of literature in history. Possibly.
Everytime someone publishes a novel that deals with adolescence it is compared - wrongfully - to Salinger's masterpiece. There is no novel that I know of that truly deserves comparison to Catcher in that respect.
Despite popular opinion, Catcher is not the teenage rebel's bible or the emo-kid's handbook. It is a formidable novel about a troubled, emotionally and psychologically unstable adolescent sadly and bravely, as Yates would have had it, at war with the world around him. He is lonely, lost, contradictory, confused and complex. The first-person narrative is deceptive; beneath it lies a subtle nuance and human compassion. Holden is repulsed by the superficiality and hypocrisy of the adult world into which he is, clumsily and reluctantly, entering.
Most criticism of the novel is based on the cult it has spawned, or rather, the cult that certain readers have created - Mr. Salinger is not to be held responsible. He simply wrote a complex, moving and enduring masterpiece, and if one is able to simply look past the conspiracy theories and the bullshit, you'll see that The Catcher in the Rye is nothing short of being one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century.
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11-09-2007, 05:19 PM
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#5
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Scribe
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 58
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Personally, I loved it.
I think the point where I really "got" the book was when Holden was explaining how he wanted to be the catcher in the rye, catching the children before they could get hurt. It really gave me persepctive because he takes up this front against the world for most of the novel and in this one moment, if only for a moment, he tears it all down and becomes fragile as he talks about guarding the children against the taint of the world.
Wonderful.
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11-10-2007, 12:34 AM
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#6
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 377
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One of the boring-est book I ever read...
__________________
I sent my Soul through the Invisible,
Some letter of that After-life to spell:
And by and by my Soul return'd to me,
And answer'd "I Myself am Heav'n and Hell :"
Lote's Tales and Poetry
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11-12-2007, 03:16 PM
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#7
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: South-east UK
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,203
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lote-Tree
One of the boring-est book I ever read...
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That's what all the stupid people say.
What you probably meant to say - assuming you're anything more than semi-literate - is that it's one of the most boring books you've ever read. But then again, if you read one of the most influential books of the 20th century and all you came away with is 'boring', the fault is with you, not the book. It's ok to dislike it. It's even ok to hate it, but for your sole judgement to be 'boring' suggests that maybe it just didn't have enough pretty pictures for you.
Last edited by Mike C : 11-12-2007 at 03:28 PM.
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11-12-2007, 03:26 PM
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#8
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 377
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike C
That's what all the stupid people say.
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The Book is boring. Calling readers stupid will not making it anymore interesting 
__________________
I sent my Soul through the Invisible,
Some letter of that After-life to spell:
And by and by my Soul return'd to me,
And answer'd "I Myself am Heav'n and Hell :"
Lote's Tales and Poetry
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11-12-2007, 03:31 PM
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#9
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: South-east UK
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,203
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Buddy Glass
Everytime someone publishes a novel that deals with adolescence it is compared - wrongfully - to Salinger's masterpiece. There is no novel that I know of that truly deserves comparison to Catcher in that respect.
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Closest I've come across is Vernon God Little by DB Pierre. It's the satiric version for the Ipod generation. And very, very funny. |
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11-16-2007, 08:55 PM
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#10
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Ink Slinger
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,849
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Yeah, this novel is kick ass.
I like when the hooker and the elevator man take his money, the exact amount owed and no more. And it's great he won't fuck the whore. Almost a painful scene to read.
His self confidence rivaling his doubt throughout the novel is wonderful.
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01-21-2008, 10:04 AM
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#11
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Addict
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: In post-Communistic territory
Gender: Male
Posts: 160
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"Like fun you are"
One of the most original sentences, love it. Me and my friend got into saying that. (From the hooker scene when she asks how old he is and he lies that he's 22 I think. Her reply is something that not only the reader but Holden himself mulls over for a while.)
Salinger misunderstood genius!
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02-10-2008, 05:44 PM
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#12
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In my own world
Gender: Female
Posts: 343
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I LOVED the book. It's probably one of my favorites. It was boring for a grand total of 5 pages. But it was still good writing. The book is brilliant, and I love the wit.
<3
__________________
"A man's life is what his thoughts make him." --Marcus Aurelius
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02-13-2008, 08:20 AM
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#13
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Keyport, Nj
Gender: Male
Posts: 447
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I never read it. I recently read Shoeless Joe in school so I want to read Catcher in the Rye now. My teacher always talks about it
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03-04-2008, 03:37 AM
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#14
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Writer
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Cambridge, UK
Gender: Female
Posts: 33
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At the risk of being unpopular I didn't find it that great. The characterisation is really good, but there still has to be some reason why you want to know about this character and I didn't really get that. It didn't help that I found the main character's personality actually quite annoying. I also didn't get why such a thing has grown up around it where it's linked to lone gunmen - but then that may be because I'm british and we don't do this book in school at all.
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03-27-2008, 08:39 PM
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#15
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Aug 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 242
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I have five favorite novels. They are, in no particular order:
Number9Dream
Drown
The Beach
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
And, due to reading it just two weeks ago, last but not least, The Catcher in the Rye
I work at the library in my highschool during sixth period (Fuck study hall, I rather sit in a plush swirly chair), and happened across this book while sorting through some shelves. Due to being in the Honors/Ap English convoy, I was never introduced to the book through class, and heard nothing but loathing when it was spoken of by people I knew. Anyways, I picked it up, gave it a skim, and fell in love. Finished it the next day during Chemistry class. I read up on the impact the novel had with critics, and how Salinger retreated into hiding due to all the publicity. I wish he had written a few more novels. I know he has a few more books, and I intend to read them once I finish up with the few books I'm going through now.
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