Description
In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye: A Cultural History, Josef Benson examines the legacy of an elusive author and his work. After exploring how the novel reflected Salinger's tortured psyche, the study discusses how the book made an impact on multiple generations of readers-from 1960s counter-culture youth and followers of the Black Power movement of the 1970s to the disenfranchised teens of the Reagan era and the celebrity-fixated masses of the present day. Benson also unravels the mystery behind Salinger's reclusiveness, the effects the novel had on the reading public who adored it, and why three American assassins cited the novel as an inspiration.
The author also considers why this work of fiction has been among the most widely taught-and most frequently banned-books of all time. By looking at the novel as both an artifact of the 1950s as well as a living testament to the turmoil of teenage angst, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye provides a riveting discussion of one of the most enigmatic novels and authors of all time.
About the Author
Josef Benson is an associate professor of English at the University of Wisconsin Parkside. He is the author of Hypermasculinities in the Contemporary Novel: Cormac McCarthy, Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin and Star Wars: The Triumph of Nerd Culture.
Book Information
ISBN 9781538184165
Author Josef Benson
Format Paperback
Page Count 174
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 268g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 151mm * 13mm