The present study will discuss J. D. Salinger's alienated misfits in direct relation to the psychology of the gifted, creative individual. By analyzing Seymour, Holden and Franny as representatives of a specific intellectual type, this study will provide the reader with a fresh insight into J. D. Salinger's fictional world.

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma leitura dos contos que compõem o volume Nine Stories, do escritor americano J. D. Salinger (1919-2010), publicado em 1953. Para orientar a discussão, partimos de termos que apareceram durante uma polêmica crítica nos anos 70 entre Richard e Carol Ohmann, de um lado, e James E. Miller, de outro. Por tratar-se de um conflito entre métodos interpretativos diferentes e pressupostos incompatíveis, tal polêmica revela uma ambiguidade que orienta a obra escritor, cujas histórias oscilam entre a observação crítica da sociedade e a exaltação da sensibilidade especial de certos personagens. Mostramos que os dois termos têm relação com a matéria histórica do período e com o contexto imediato que compunha os Estados Unidos durante a metade do século XX, especificamente com a questão do dissenso e da revolta pessoal de membros de uma classe média afluente da costa leste americana. Esperamos que o trabalho lance luz sobre questões importantes do gênero narrativo, tal como a relação entre enredo e narrador, pois compreender as idas e vindas da ficção de Salinger é testemunhar de perto como valores muitas vezes contraditórios podem estar presentes em um texto e como os acontecimentos narrativos podem chocar-se com a maneira pela qual são mediados por narradores não-confiáveis. / The aim of this work is to present a reading of the short stories collected in the book Nine Stories, first published in 1953 by the North American writer J. D. Salinger (1919-2010). In order to guide our discussion, we take arguments that appeared in a critical debate between Richard and Carol Ohmann, on one side, and James E. Miller, on the other, during the 1970s. Due to the acritics different interpretative methods and incompatible assumptions, the debate end up revealing an ambiguity central to Salinger\'s work, whose stories oscillate between the critical observation of society and the celebration of a special sensibility present in some characters. We show that both terms bear relation with the historical matter from the period and with the immediate context that formed the United States during the middle of the 20th century, specifically with problems of dissent and personal revolt in members of an affluent middle class from the East Coast. We hope this work will shed light on important issues concerning the narrative genre, such as the relationship between plot and narrator, since this is fundamental in understanding the comings and goings of Salinger\'s fiction, the way in which sometimes contradictory values can be present in the text, and how the character\'s actions might conflict with the way in which they are mediated by unreliable narrators.

O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma leitura dos contos que compõem o volume Nine Stories, do escritor americano J. D. Salinger (1919-2010), publicado em 1953. Para orientar a discussão, partimos de termos que apareceram durante uma polêmica crítica nos anos 70 entre Richard e Carol Ohmann, de um lado, e James E. Miller, de outro. Por tratar-se de um conflito entre métodos interpretativos diferentes e pressupostos incompatíveis, tal polêmica revela uma ambiguidade que orienta a obra escritor, cujas histórias oscilam entre a observação crítica da sociedade e a exaltação da sensibilidade especial de certos personagens. Mostramos que os dois termos têm relação com a matéria histórica do período e com o contexto imediato que compunha os Estados Unidos durante a metade do século XX, especificamente com a questão do dissenso e da revolta pessoal de membros de uma classe média afluente da costa leste americana. Esperamos que o trabalho lance luz sobre questões importantes do gênero narrativo, tal como a relação entre enredo e narrador, pois compreender as idas e vindas da ficção de Salinger é testemunhar de perto como valores muitas vezes contraditórios podem estar presentes em um texto e como os acontecimentos narrativos podem chocar-se com a maneira pela qual são mediados por narradores não-confiáveis. / The aim of this work is to present a reading of the short stories collected in the book Nine Stories, first published in 1953 by the North American writer J. D. Salinger (1919-2010). In order to guide our discussion, we take arguments that appeared in a critical debate between Richard and Carol Ohmann, on one side, and James E. Miller, on the other, during the 1970s. Due to the acritics different interpretative methods and incompatible assumptions, the debate end up revealing an ambiguity central to Salinger\'s work, whose stories oscillate between the critical observation of society and the celebration of a special sensibility present in some characters. We show that both terms bear relation with the historical matter from the period and with the immediate context that formed the United States during the middle of the 20th century, specifically with problems of dissent and personal revolt in members of an affluent middle class from the East Coast. We hope this work will shed light on important issues concerning the narrative genre, such as the relationship between plot and narrator, since this is fundamental in understanding the comings and goings of Salinger\'s fiction, the way in which sometimes contradictory values can be present in the text, and how the character\'s actions might conflict with the way in which they are mediated by unreliable narrators.

Jerome David Salinger´s Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye, is seen through the lens of psychoanalytical literary criticism. He is a complex character, who is torn between his dreams and emotions. He is often depicted as a liar, a rebel who drops out of school or as a depressed young man who is admitted into care for his mental problems. Some of these issues are hidden in the vernacular teenage language. The image of Holden as having a personality that is in line with narcissism is therefore discussed. The intention is to question whether or not Holden shows symptoms of a narcissistic personality. Contrary to the personality traits that some critics have described, this essay focuses on the sides of Holden´s personality that show empathy, generosity and love, despite the traumas of his childhood.

J.D. Salinger’s ‘A Girl I Knew,’ ‘Just Before the War with the Eskimos,’ and ‘Blue Melody,’ contain key thematic and narratological elements that contribute to the development of character through repeated reference to tactile imagery and through each character’s reaction to the sensations associated with tactile images. Salinger’s descriptions of tactile interaction allow readers to see his characters connected in ways that were increasingly difficult in the 1950’s, where widespread cultural changes contributed to increasing physical and emotional distancing. Critics have argued that “vision” is at the heart of many of Salinger’s characters’ struggles, since they “seek” a level of human connectedness not found in other narratives. However, Salinger's stories do not provide a mere record of observed physical characteristics as some claim; instead, they present concrete physical details that take both the character and the reader beyond sight to touch, in an effort to create the intimate space necessary for redemption. Using theoretical work by critics who focus on tactile imagery pinpoints how Salinger’s characters situate themselves in relation to the world around them and how setting and other narrative mechanics influence character. Salinger’s attention to tactile imagery influences character in a profound way creating a “narrative of immediacy” where closeness is further reinforced through tactile physical descriptions, attention to gesture, and use of conversational popular vernacular.