Literature review of works by J. D. Salinger, John Steinbeck, J. Updike

Literature review of works by J.D.Salinger, John Steinbeck, J. Updike.

The First Reviews of Every J. D. Salinger Book

• Jerome David Salinger, the man the New York Times once described as having “elevated privacy to an art form,” passed away nine years ago this week. At the time of his death, despite not having published a book in almost fifty years, Salinger was still a (literary) household name. There were a number of bizarre but undeniably fascinating reasons for this, chief among them his almost mythic sustained reclusiveness and the enduring popularity of his now-canonical 1951 debut, The Catcher in the Rye (which has now sold somewhere in the region of 70 million copies worldwide).

There was also his early romance with Eugene O’Neill’s daughter, Oona (who ghosted him for Charlie Chaplin); the intense legal dispute with biographer Ian Hamilton, which culminated in Salinger suing Random House; a relationship with eighteen-year-old journalist Joyce Maynard when he was fifty-three; two revealing memoirs published within a year of each other at the close of the 90s—one by Maynard and another by Salinger’s daughter, Margaret; and the ongoing speculation that his aberrant behavior stemmed from his WWII service and the resultant, untreated, PTSD.

There was also his early romance with Eugene O’Neill’s daughter, Oona (who ghosted him for Charlie Chaplin); the intense legal dispute with biographer Ian Hamilton, which culminated in Salinger suing Random House; a relationship with eighteen-year-old journalist Joyce Maynard when he was fifty-three; two revealing memoirs published within a year of each other at the close of the 90s—one by Maynard and another by Salinger’s daughter, Margaret; and the ongoing speculation that his aberrant behavior stemmed from his WWII service and the resultant, untreated, PTSD.

Holden’s story is told in Holden’s own strange, wonderful language by J. D. Salinger in an unusually brilliant novel… Holden is bewildered, lonely, ludicrous and pitiful. His troubles, his failings are not of his own making but of a world that is out of joint. There is nothing wrong with him that a little understanding and affection, preferably from his parents, couldn’t have set right. Though confused and unsure of himself, like most 16-year-olds, he is observant and perceptive and filled with a certain wisdom. His minor delinquencies seem minor indeed when contrasted with adult delinquencies with which he is confronted.

• Holden’s story is told in Holden’s own strange, wonderful language by J. D. Salinger in an unusually brilliant novel… Holden is bewildered, lonely, ludicrous and pitiful. His troubles, his failings are not of his own making but of a world that is out of joint. There is nothing wrong with him that a little understanding and affection, preferably from his parents, couldn’t have set right. Though confused and unsure of himself, like most 16-year-olds, he is observant and perceptive and filled with a certain wisdom. His minor delinquencies seem minor indeed when contrasted with adult delinquencies with which he is confronted.

John Updike

• John Updike (1932-2009) is an American author who chronicled the experiences of the middle-class in the second half of the 20th century. A productive and driven writer, Updike published hundreds of short stories, 20 novels, eight volumes of poetry, and many pieces of art and literary criticism during his career. Best known for his masterful prose and command of language, Updike enjoyed a long and celebrated career. As the recipient of many awards, Updike is one of the rare writers to have received two Pulitzer Prizes in Fiction

Famous works

• His most famous work is his "Rabbit" series(the novels Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit Is Rich; Rabbit at Rest; and the novella Rabbit Remembered), which chronicles the life of the middle-class everyman Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom over the course of several decades, from young adulthood to death.

What are the main works of John Steinbeck?

• Notable Works: “Cannery Row” “Cup of Gold” “East of Eden” “In Dubious Battle” “Lifeboat” “Of Mice and Men” “The Grapes of Wrath” “The Moon is Down” “The Pearl” “The Red Pony” “Tortilla Flat” “Travels with Charley: In Search of America”

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