Perks+of+Being+the+Catcher+in+the+Rye

= Pairing Project, Part One = Troy Reedy, Angel Mount, Anne Weston, Rebecca Banfill

= //The Catcher in the Rye// =
 * Basics: ** Salinger, J. D. //The Catcher in the Rye.// New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. Print.

Amazon Books Preview Link to The Catcher in the Rye
 * Links ** :

**Possible Connections**:

J.D. Salinger’s //The Catcher in the Rye// presents the reader with a wealth of potential discussion topics. Many parts of the novel could be connected to young adult literature. Similar to many young adult works, //Catcher// is narrated by a teenage boy, Holden Caufield. Caufield is the only point of view the reader receives, which makes for a very strong voice. While his voice is strong, Caufield may not be the most reliable narrator. His language displays potential prejudices and predispositions. Young adult works are also often told strictly one view point and, therefore, typically present a strong, yet not necessarily reliable, voice. Caufield also uses some outdated language and is consistently sarcastic. This can be confusing to some readers; however, if one can find a young adult work with similar situations and themes, such as //The Perks of Being a Wallflower//, it could aid in understanding simply by using the current adolescent vernacular.

//Catcher// also focuses on some themes which also frequently appear in young adult literature. Salinger’s novel can be read in a variety of ways, but one way is to view it as a coming of age tale. While Holden does not age significantly during the narrative, he is constantly struggling to mature. Many young adult works also focus on one character’s maturation process. Caufield is also working to make sense of the world around him. Despite his underwhelming performance in school, Caufiled is learning more and more with each experience he has. While his lessons often result in a jaded message, he is still making an effort to understand how the world works and, more importantly, where he fits. There are many young adult works which detail events in the main character’s life which aid him or her in comprehending the world.

Along with coming of age and making sense of the world, Caufield deals with another relevant issue for many adolescents; depression. Salinger constantly mentions how depressed Caufield feels. While Caufield is attempting to make sense of his world, he is also seeking happiness along the way. Unfortunately for Caufield and many characters in young adult literature, happiness is often not in the places one would expect. Connections could likely be made between Caufield’s causes for as well as attempts to avoid depression and the types of sadness and other emotional hardships young adult characters experience.

Relationships are often a key factor in young adult books. That is also the case in //Catcher//. Caufield has a number of relationships. Many are entirely superficial, but some are rather intimate. Many connections could be made between the relationships Caufield has and those of major characters in young adult works. Relationships in classic and young adult books are often a source of learning, growth, and maturation. They are certainly worthy of study and can reveal a number of important links between novels.

//The Catcher in the Rye// contains numerous factors which one could relate to young adult works. Ultimately, these links could aid a student in understanding both works.

= Research Focus: Pairing Classics with Young Adult Works =

Hertz, Sarah K. //From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges Between Young Adult Literature and the Classics//. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1996. 25-73. //ebrary.com//. Web. 3 Feb. 2013.



In chapter four of //From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges Between Young Adult Literature and the Classics//, Hertz elaborates on the benefits of pairing classic texts with young adult selections. By reading more relatable young adult pieces first, students are able to better grasp large ideas and themes within similar classic works as well as increase their focus and interest levels. Hertz lists several examples of young adult works that can supplement commonly taught classics as well as examples of both classic and young adult literature that satisfy common archetypes. She also discusses the benefits of expanding themes through examining multiple texts, and restructuring the classroom to make reading more enjoyable for students.

Crowe, Chris. “Young Adult Literature: AP and YA?//” The English Journal// Vol. 91, No. 1, Assessing Ourselves to Death (Sep., 2001): p. 123-128. JSTOR. Web. 4th Feb. 2013.

In “//Young Adult Literature: AP and YA?//” Chris Crowe discusses the benefits and detriments of venturing out into using YA novels in AP English courses. Few AP teachers see take the risk and defy the norms by using young adult novels in their classrooms because they feel the AP test is largely political in their grading, seeking those who have read the most prestigious literature. One speaker even goes so far as to say that choosing a YA novel to write about the AP test would be “academic suicide”. However, Crowe argues that young adult novels hold just as much merit as the classics and are often much more beneficial to a complete grasp of the content matter, leading to better written AP essays. Although he does concede that classics are important, he brings up several good reasons why room should be made for young adult literature even among the most advanced students.



Gallagher, Janice M. "Pairing Adolescent Fiction with Books from the Canon" //Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy// 39.1 (1995): 8-14. Web. 3 Feb. 2012.

In “Pairing Adolescent Fiction with Books from the Canon,” Gallagher describes the benefits of pairing young adult novels with classical literature. The young adult novel serves as a springboard in which students can first practice analyzing and making connections with an easier and more relatable book. Once they are successful with the young adult book, they can move onto its classical counterpart. The students can then apply the skills they have learned previously to the classical text. By reading the YA novel first, they have the ability to make connections between the two books, easily find and locate themes, and draw greater meaning from the classical work. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/216930211/13C07081863D1F14FB/1?accountid=39473

= **Process** = Moving forward, Troy will complete the possible connections section, Becca, Anne, and Angel which each locate a useful source, add them to the page, and provide the annotation, and each of us will finish //The Perks of Being a Wallflower// by Sunday, February 17th. That will give us plenty of time to meet again, discuss and delegate the remaining tasks, and put together an excellent project.