J.D. Salinger Passes Away

[Patrycja]

RIP :'(

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100128/entertainment/us_obit_salinger

[sirchris]

Regardless of it's historical/social importance, 'A Catcher In The Rye' was one of the most overrated books I've ever read.

There, I've said it.

Anyway - R.I.P J.D

[pagemccartney95]

Sad. :'(

R.I.P. J.D.S.

[Bong-Man]

Regardless of it's historical/social importance, 'A Catcher In The Rye' was one of the most overrated books I've ever read.

There, I've said it.

Anyway - R.I.P J.D

Hear Hear Auntie !.....I'm with you all the way on that one.

RIP anyway, of course.

[sirchris]

Hear Hear Auntie !.....I'm with you all the way on that one.

RIP anyway, of course.

"I caught a taxi - that made me depressed. Then I walked through the park - I've always hated parks. Then I went to see a show at the cinema - I can't stand cinemas. I got a hot dog - I choked on it and it made me very depressed. Then someone tried to sodomise me - I think sodomy is very depressing......"

That's how I remember it anyway.

[alinds]

I hope all the shit he's been writing in isolation gets published.

[manderlyh]

I saw this. RIP.

[ninelives]

:'( I loved Catcher in the Rye.

[bigstickbonzo]

^^^ I've already had numerous quarrels today over CITR. I had to read it in high school and again in college like everyone else. I still say it's highly overrated.

I'd put S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" infront of it any day.

Regardless, RIP.

[Atlas]

I wonder what Hinckley and Chapman think of this.

[Black Dawg]

Allright -- Now what is in the Safe!!?? Can we resurrect Jerry Rivers to stand in front of it an reveal some cobwebs and empty wine bottles?

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/82946327.html

[Patrycja]

It's true that CITR, like some other novels, can be a bit of a disappointment what with all the build up of its reputation. It's not the literary giant Salinger (who did not lack ego) would have readers believe. A lot of its value I think lies in the impact it had in its day. Those kinds of broader contexts are interesting as is the extent to which teens may relate to it today, although teen angst has become a bit of a cliche and even a point of mockery.

On another note, I read recently that his daughter revealed he had a colour coding system for his unpublished works (like red or something is ready to be published should he die, other colours for works in progress, etc.), so hopefully the legal wrangling won't take too long. But with all this build up of anticipation, I can't help but wonder whether in the end these works too will get a similar reaction to that of CITR. Sometimes it's impossible to live up to the hype.

[bigstickbonzo]

It's true that CITR, like some other novels, can be a bit of a disappointment what with all the build up of its reputation.

I agree. Jack Kerouac's On The Road is another I never thought lived up to its hype.

[LarryD]

I agree. Jack Kerouac's On The Road is another I never thought lived up to its hype.

Reading this is really more for armchair travelers, LIVING it is the way to go!!!!

[manderlyh]

It's true that CITR, like some other novels, can be a bit of a disappointment what with all the build up of its reputation. It's not the literary giant Salinger (who did not lack ego) would have readers believe. A lot of its value I think lies in the impact it had in its day. Those kinds of broader contexts are interesting as is the extent to which teens may relate to it today, although teen angst has become a bit of a cliche and even a point of mockery.

On another note, I read recently that his daughter revealed he had a colour coding system for his unpublished works (like red or something is ready to be published should he die, other colours for works in progress, etc.), so hopefully the legal wrangling won't take too long. But with all this build up of anticipation, I can't help but wonder whether in the end these works too will get a similar reaction to that of CITR. Sometimes it's impossible to live up to the hype.

I read it in junior high, expecting it to be full of all kinds of Jackie Collins-esque scandalous smut or something, based on how much hype I'd heard about it being risque, etc. I expected it to be full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll...or something.

For those doubters:

I didn't really get the hype either, but when I read it again later on, in college, I understood the value as it stands today. It's set and was written in the 1950's, and if you think about how the media portrayed that time, you will see the value.

[bigstickbonzo]

Reading this is really more for armchair travelers, LIVING it is the way to go!!!!

Actually, it's spelled L I V I N.

[Patrycja]

I read it in junior high, expecting it to be full of all kinds of Jackie Collins-esque scandalous smut or something, based on how much hype I'd heard about it being risque, etc. I expected it to be full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll...or something.

For those doubters:

I didn't really get the hype either, but when I read it again later on, in college, I understood the value as it stands today. It's set and was written in the 1950's, and if you think about how the media portrayed that time, you will see the value.

Yeah you've explained well where I was going with contexts. Studying today the novel's impact at the time certainly has merits, even if the passage of time allows for more sober examination of the literary value of the text in and of itself.

Funny how there seems to be more hype in the news about that vault of Salinger's than about his passing. Maybe because he was 91? or that he was a recluse?? Not sure what to make of that...

[Patrycja]

I agree. Jack Kerouac's On The Road is another I never thought lived up to its hype.

Well while we're at it, I'd add LOTR to the list. In some parts it went on and ooon. It could've used, among other things, a little trimming (and this from someone who's wordy).

But the hype may just be the hype of the time. It's impossible to say how anyone of us would've reacted to these novels had we had a chance to read them when they were published. Sometimes people get swept away in the spirit of the time. And as Manderlyh pointed out, subsequent readings almost always give a different perspective, bad or good.

[lead ballon]

And then there's Mark David Chapman, who after killing John Lennon read out a paragraph of the book during his trial.

[bigstickbonzo]

Well while we're at it, I'd add LOTR to the list. In some parts it went on and ooon. It could've used, among other things, a little trimming (and this from someone who's wordy).

I tried reading The Hobbit as a kid and never made it through. The whole series never excited me. I guess I was too into Star Wars and Indiana Jones to really give a shit about another big franchise.

But the hype may just be the hype of the time. It's impossible to say how anyone of us would've reacted to these novels had we had a chance to read them when they were published. Sometimes people get swept away in the spirit of the time. And as Manderlyh pointed out, subsequent readings almost always give a different perspective, bad or good.

Well said.

[ninelives]

Well while we're at it, I'd add LOTR to the list. In some parts it went on and ooon. It could've used, among other things, a little trimming (and this from someone who's wordy).

But the hype may just be the hype of the time. It's impossible to say how anyone of us would've reacted to these novels had we had a chance to read them when they were published. Sometimes people get swept away in the spirit of the time. And as Manderlyh pointed out, subsequent readings almost always give a different perspective, bad or good.

Good point although I have to say I absolutely loved LOTR and "On the Road"

[Atlas]

And then there's Mark David Chapman, who after killing John Lennon read out a paragraph of the book during his trial.

A copy was also found in Hinckley's motel room after Reagan was shot. By whom I don't know.

[The Rover]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye

Holden Caulfield, the main character in the novel, shares a fantasy he has been thinking about: he pictures himself as the sole guardian of numerous children running and playing in a huge rye field on the edge of a cliff. His job is to catch the children if they wander close to the brink; to be a "catcher in the rye".

After leaving his home, Holden Caulfield drops by to see his old English teacher, Mr. Antolini, who give this insight to Holden:

"The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause . . .

While the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one."

[Patrycja]

I tried reading The Hobbit as a kid and never made it through. The whole series never excited me. I guess I was too into Star Wars and Indiana Jones to really give a shit about another big franchise.

Didn't cracking the cool mysterious writing lure you? I read it on a plane. Good thing it was a long flight. Still, I'm looking forward to the movie, though...

Well said.

Well thanks.

Good point although I have to say I absolutely loved LOTR and "On the Road"

Oh nine, I hear you, there are so many that fall into these categories that I shamelessly enjoy! It's just good to be able to critique something without worrying about diehards not letting one get a word in edgewise

[Atlas]

Mark David Chapman

who killed John Lennon was carrying a copy of The Catcher in the Rye when he was arrested. John Hnckley Jr. had a copy in his hotel room when Reagan was shot. Now the interesting thing is that J. D. Salinger had been a member of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps.

Now, what we really have to ask is WHERE WAS HEINZ?