J.D. Salinger (1919-2010)
A selective list of online literary criticism for J.D. Salinger, favoring signed articles by recognized scholars, articles published in reviewed sources, and web sites that adhere to the Modern Language Association Guidelines for Web Pages
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literary criticism
Hamilton, Ian. "Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted." Time Magazine review of Ian Hamilton's In Search of J.D. Salinger (Random House). 5/23/88
Hamilton, Ian. News stories about the lawsuit Salinger filed against the use of his letters in Ian Hamilton's biography of him are available at the NYTimes web site feature on J.D. Salinger.
Hamilton, Ian. In a 1988 interview, Ian Hamilton talks about his book In Search of J.D. Salinger. Wired for Books [audio]
Kakutani, Michiko. "From Salinger, A New Dash Of Mystery" [on the publication of ''Hapworth 16, 1924'']. NYTimes, 2/20/97
Kaufman, Anthony. "'Along this road goes no one': Salinger's 'Teddy' and the failure of love." Kaufman contends that Salinger's short story "Teddy" should be understood as "the story not of a cool and detached mystical prodigy, but of an unloved, frightened 10-year-old. Studies in Short Fiction, Spring 1998
Kubica, Chris and Will Hochman, eds. Letters to J.D. Salinger. (U of Wisconsin P 2002) Reviewer Catherine Kunce remarks, "The work contains an undeniable charm. Both provocative and amusing at times, Letters to J.D. Salinger advocates an armchair criticism that strives to bridge the gap between educated readers and seasoned critics. Yet for the scholar struggling to read a library full of essential works, I maintain that this volume can be removed from one's obligatory reading list." Rocky Mountain MLA, 10/28/04
Maynard, Joyce. "An 18-Year-Old Looks Back On Life," New York Times, 4/23/72. The article that caught Salinger's attention. Also "The Cult of Joyce Maynard," 9/6/98 ; The first chapter of Maynard's memoir, At Home in the World. NYTimes archive.
(removed) Pattanaik, Dipti R.
Yardley, Jonathan."J.D. Salinger's Holden Caulfield, Aging Gracelessly." In a negative reassessment of The Catcher in the Rye, Yardley writes, "The Catcher in the Rye is a maladroit, mawkish novel, but there can be no question about its popularity or influence." Washington Post, Oct. 19, 2004
An extensive web presentation on J.D. Salinger from the NY Times which features nine reviews of Salinger's books written between 1951 and 1963, with reviewers including Eudora Welty and John Updike, and about 20 additional newspaper articles on Salinger. Not all reviews were positive: for Catcher in the Rye, one reviewer imitated Salinger's style to write, "This Salinger, he's a short story guy. And he knows how to write about kids. This book though, it's too long. Gets kind of monotonous." [Registration required]
"J.D. Salinger, fashion victim - Missing Persons." On the ups and downs of Salinger's reputation. National Review, April 7, 1997 by James Gardner
Ian Hamilton papers at Princeton U for his book J.D. Salinger: A Writing Life
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