Chapters 19-23

1) Luce asks Holden in the beginning of chapter 19, "Is this going to be a typical Caulfield conversation"? What do you make of that, and what does that tell us about Holden?
2) Does it correspond with your view of him?
3) How is Holden´s mental instability portrayed and have you altered the way you think about Holden, and if so in what way?
4) How does Holden look upon death?
5) Characterize Phoebe.
6) What are the symbolic references to the poem, children and lawyers?
7)Why does Holden want to be the catcher in the Rye?

The Catcher in the Rye

In 1960 a teacher was fired for assigning the novel in class; he was later reinstated. But between 1961 and 1982, The Catcher in the Rye was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States. In 1981, it was both the most censored book and the second most taught book in public schools in the United States. Shelley Keller-Gage, a high school teacher who faced objections after assigning the novel in her class, noted that the challengers "are being just like Holden... They are trying to be catchers in the rye."

From: Wikipedia

Just an interesting fact and this is nothing you should feel obliged to answer, but why? And what does Shelley Keller-Gage mean by her comment?

Chapters 15-18

1) If you consider the ducks and the city of New York, perhaps you can compare them to characters, how and who would they then be?
2)What is the suitcase a symbol of?
3) Comment on Holden´s reminiscence of his visits to the museum with Miss Aigletinger?
4) Describe Holden´s state of mind during these chapters, what is going on with him? - include Sally in your description.
5) Do bastard guys have an inferiority complex in your opinion? 
6) Please pick a quote and comment on it- this book is full of great lines.

*Julie made a sensible comment in the last post - that she would only answer questions that were not accounted for and leave those that were. Try to think in this fashion when going through the questions - read each other´s comments and work from there.

Chapters 10-14

I think people are really bad at commenting - please get better!

1) Comment on Holden´s behavior in the Lavender room - here you should contrast how the girls act  and how Holden describes them.
2) Why do people in general use irony or kid with people? Comment on Holden´s use of irony.
3) Comment on the following passage: "I always get those vomit kind of cabs if I go anywhere late at night ( ... ) New York´s terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed. I kept wishing I could go home and shoot the bull for a while with old Phoebe." (Beginning of chapter 12)
4) Why does Holden wonder where the ducks go in the winter? Perhaps difficult to answer, but keep it in mind at least.
5) Why do you think that Holden keeps calling people 'old' as in old Phoebe, old Jane, old Marty, old Lillian, old bag, old Childs, old Sunny etc.?
6) Comment on Holden´s encounter with the prostitute and Maurice.

- if you find any great quotes you would like to discuss please go ahead and do so.

Tips for your writing

 
When you write your essay in English there are a few things you need to consider.

1. You need to have the task in focus hence read the instructions through many times before starting so that you know what to do.
2. Think about the structure: Introduction, body, conclusion - no matter what genre, this always applies.
3. Vary your language - use linking words and phrases and also remember that a text needs to have coherence and fluency to give meaning for the reader.
4. Read your essay through many times before handing in - your teacher does not advocate sloppy writing and she certainly dislikes wasting time correcting careless errors. Here is the finding-your-errors-guide.

Chapters 5-9

1) Describe Holden´s relationship to:

• Spencer
• Ackley
• Jane Gallagher
• Stradlater

2) Try to explain Holden´s reaction in chapter 6.
3) Is Holden sometimes lying to us, or perhaps just exaggerating the truth? Give examples.
4) Comment on his relationship to the opposite sex.

Narration

When reading short stories and novels it is very important to look at the narration of the story? Why is that? Well, because it is from the narrator´s point of view that we come to understand the story? Ask a former slave and a Caucasian American about slavery and you will emerge with two very different narratives as they come from very different backgrounds and thus have different stories to tell.

The discourse situation of narrative is rather complicated, but you will need it in order to understand The Catcher in the Rye as there are many different layers in the narrative which are important for the interpretation of the story.

Production: Author → implied author → narrator →
Reception: narratee → implied reader → reader

Author: The actual author  (J.D. Salinger)
The implied author: The "seeming author"of the narrative who works "behind the scenes" shaping the values that the narrative projects onto his audience. You must not identify with the real author as they may have different beliefs and attitudes.
Narrator: The one inside the text narrating the story, could be a third person (omniscient in which a main character is focalized or non-omniscient/limited) or a 1st person narrator.
Narratee: The narratee is the person to whom the narrator is speaking inside the text.
The implied reader: the mirror image of the implied author thus not in the text. The implied reader is the 'reader' addressed by the narrative, but whose views may be quite different from those of the flesh-and-blood reader.
Reader: The actual reader - us

We can all agree on the fact that Holden Gaufield is narating the story thus we are dealing with a major first person narrator. First person narrators tend to be unreliable, but is Holden unreliable and can you find examples of this? Who is he talking to (Narratee)? and who might the implied reader and author be? This should be considered throughout the novel and is something we will discuss at the seminar.

Chapters to read

Here is a plan for the chapters you need to read- try not to cheat.
7th of March: Chapter 1-4 (p.1-43)
14th of March: Chapter 5-9 (p.44-70)
22nd of March: Chapter 10-14 (p.71-110)
29th of March: Chapter15-18 (p.111-147)
5th of April: Chapter 19-23 (p.148-187)
12th of April (when we meet againg): Chapter 24-26 (p.188-220)

Chapters 1-4

Homework for this week are chapters 1-4 (p.1-43)
Try to think of some of the themes that this story brings forth.
Look closely at the narrator? Use the text as well as your imagination

1. Who is he?
2. What is the situation?
3. What is his social background?
4. Who is he talking to?
5. Comment on the language

Meeting and Writing

Your mock exam is Tuesday,  15/3
09.00-10.00 Delprøve 1
10.00-14.00 Delprøve 2

N.B. Please be there at least 15 minutes before.

We meet again
12/4 (not the 5th) go through The Catcher in the Rye and the mock exam
 3/5 Repetition and exam
17/5 Repetition and exam

Grammar Rock Preposition