Video: "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger

National Association of Scholars

"I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.”

What makes The Catcher in the Rye a great American novel? How does Holden deal with feelings of isolation and alienation? Is he a static character, or does the ending mark a maturation of his outlook? Who influenced Salinger's writings, and who did his writings influence?

This webinar features Brent Cline, Associate Professor of English at Hillsdale College; Sarah Graham, Associate Professor in American Literature at the University of Leicester; and Anne Phillips, Professor of English and Associate Head of the Graduate Faculty at Kansas State University.

The discussion is moderated by David Randall, Director of Research at the National Association of Scholars.

You can find a list of the speakers' books available for purchase here.


Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

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