+1 - you are welcome to not like the book, but it was a big deal when published and incredibly influential on the lit and popular culture coming after it. I think that the concept of a “teenager” - in the modern day sense of teens as we think of them today - really came of age in the 50’s, when they were recognized as a viable group that bought stuff and could be marketed to. At the same time they were getting their own identity as a market force, Catcher came along and documented how alienting it can feel to be a teen with no direction. And it did so in a voice that was obviously not a 50’s parent’s. So the fact that it captured that sense of teen disillusionment and self-centered meandering at a time when that group was really coming into its own was a big deal.
Most of it is hilarious, and I believe intentionally.
It wasn’t bad at all. Much better than most of the “classics” they make you read in English lit, if only because it had a lot of sex scenes.
I liked Catcher. Phoebe is one of my favourite characters ever.
Naked Came the Stranger was a lot of fun, and had some of the funniest sex scenes ever. I read it knowing it was a hoax by a bunch of Newsweek writers, though, and I wonder how I would have reacted if I’d really believed it was written by a desperate housewife named Penelope Ashe.
As for Catcher, no, I never really got it either. I grew up in NY in the Seventies and compared to the day-to-day life of alienated teens then, being rich, getting to wander around the Park and having to meet a girl at the Plaza didn’t seem like a big problem. The subject of the little brother’s death was totally glossed over.
in a rush so I can’t do this post justice, but Seymour Glass (see more glass), as described in Bananafish is quite transparent, and from the other books we see that he is jaded and affected by the ills of society. He (and what has rubbed off on his siblings - see Franny and Zooey) loathes formalities and titles, challenges authority and normative behavior, etc.
If you look at Salinger’s Uncollected Writings (which I have not read in years) you will see various treatments of the sentiments and characteristics that are displayed by both Holden and Seymour…
I guess I’m th only one who liked Battlefield Earth. I read it a long time ago, but I remember it being fun, cheesy '50’s sci-fi pulp.
I was gonna go Mill on the Floss, but you’re probably right about Silas. Either way, the OP should read some George Eliot to get an idea about blow-your-brains-out bad lit.
Happy
I could’ve easily written this post.
I shudder at the mere mention of Danielle Steele, V.C. Andrews, & Dan Brown in the same thread as Salinger. Even taking in consideration the context.
They are not “authors”, they do not “write.” They merely take a big steaming dump on paper and pass it off as literature. I know many of you will say “that’s just your opinion, Chao.” Well, be that as it may. COME ON!! I, for one, loved Salinger. I can understand not enjoying his works but he definitely was a grand author.
Battlefield was okay but he wrote another, thankfully forgetable series of a dozen awful books. (Mission Earth Series)
Another set of unbelievely bad books is the old Perry Rhodan series. This is aboslute Dreck, I picked up 100 books for $5. I paid too much.
You’ve never read The Eye of Argon, have you?
And I’ll echo what others have said about LRH.
The ad is for Mess catcher–whatever that is…
I read and LOVED CitR when I was a teen. I reread it for a book group a few years ago and was quite impatient with Holden. But I also felt sorry for him.
I think this is a book that needs to be read at a certain time in life-not neccessarily adolescence, but a time when you are questioning the future (your future) and are somewhat lonely.
yikes–I might have to read this again right before I go into the nursing home…
I think that’s it. Gotta connect to Holden for you to actually enjoy the book. It’s one of my favorites.
Now, worst book ever written?
Dandelion Wine
shudder
This is exactly it. It’s a funny little book and, from my experience, one from canonical high school literature that seems to produce the widest range of impassioned opinions. Men seem to far prefer it to women; people who have come across this book during their early teens seem to prefer it to those who read it later. Most people either love it or loathe it. It really is a book that has to hit you in the right place at the right time.
Personally, I love it. I think it’s a fantastic piece of literature and the literary voice of the main character is one of the most original and memorable. The only other charcter in modern American literature that has left such an indelible impression on me is Ignatius J. Reilly from Confederacy of Dunces.
Before I knew what ElRon was all about, I bought and read this series. It had some interesting concepts (the implants used to spy on one of the characters), but otherwise it was a bit drawn out and even silly at times. There was some speculation that he didn’t actually write any of the books, just the outlines.
After I found about Xenu and company, I took the books (all hardcovers!) and destroyed them. That’s the only time I’d ever done that.
Ooh! Was it a book-burining? A good ol’ fashioned religious pile-'em-up-and torch-'em kind of event? (Granted most of these involve the religious folk burning the secular books, not the other way around, but…) Considering the books involved, that sounds like fun!
Happy
Nah. Just a lot of ripping. The covers made a nice sound as I ripped them in half, though.
Strange, I think these are the only books I have ever thrown out that weren’t damaged beyond hope. But not for any political/religious stance. They were really that bad. I still have those horrible Perry Rhodan books, of course they’re in the basement but I still have them.
It was more out of disgust. I felt digusted with myself knowing I had helped that whackjob support his lunatic “belief system”. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know at the time I bought and read them. I knew he had written Dianetics, but I didn’t know what that was about. Only that is was a series of annoying commercials.
Had to read it in prep school. Given that I was surrounded by rich, white, self absorbed dumbasses, it was hardly illuminating. Not the worst book, but easily one of the worst ‘masterpieces’ I’ve had to read.