The Awl publishes an excerpt of an essay about the development of the Holden Caulfield character in various J.D. Salinger writings prior to the publication of The Catcher In The Rye. It was posted in honor of the 60th anniversary of the novel's publication.
The Catcher In The Rye was one of my favorite books in high school. I read Nine Stories a year or two later, after my sister gave me the book for Christmas, even though she couldn't stand Holden Caulfield. Recently, I reread The Catcher In The Rye to see if I still enjoyed it like I did previously, after criticizing my sister's youthful enjoyment of Ayn Rand. I was surprised that I still did. Since then, I read Frannie and Zooey, and I intend to reread Nine Stories, then read Raise High The Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, but what I've been most struck by is how these stories evolved from short stories into a sort of family history. Of course Salinger, and his withdrawal into seemingly mad reclusiveness, also is intriguing. This description of the development of the Holden Caulfield character just adds to that case of the short stories growing into a larger picture.
Despite my initial hatred of Holden, you've now piqued my interest. I may have to read the short stories.
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