Salinger's Web (5/20/15)

As you begin reading Zooey, it is important to note that some of the most sought after stories in Salinger's canon are the ones he chose not to publish. While doing my research, I discovered some information about Salinger I found to be quite interesting.

For many years, Salinger refused to do interviews regarding his work because he did not really want to discuss his place in all of it. He wanted the work to speak for itself. Furthermore, he did not wish to predispose the reader to any interpretation that might ruin their enjoyment of his work.

As I began to dig deeper, I found this information:

"The Glass family stories are well known. There are eight stories which fit into this category. These stories chronicle the lives of Glass family members, using their genealogy to convey evolving and related themes. In the telling of these stories, the author has abdicated his influence to the character of "Buddy" Glass. In fact, Buddy Glass tells us that he has been the narrator of all of Salinger's stories from the beginning.

An earlier, less known category are the Caulfield stories. These stories chronicle the lives of the members of the Caulfield family and Vincent's friend Babe Gladwaller. These stories not only share their characters, but also themes which tie them into The Catcher in the Rye. Including the novel, there are nine Caulfield stories, two of them resting within Salinger's unpublished works.

In fact, the character Web Gallagher "Buddy" Glass was born in 1919 and he lives in upstate New York. He also teachers English at a rural women's college. Buddy is often considered to be Salinger's alter ego. He claims credit for writing "Franny" and another story about another family whose stories remain unpublished - the Caufields.

These stories chronicle the lives of the members of the Caulfield family and Vincent's friend Babe Gladwaller. These stories not only share their characters, but also themes which tie them into The Catcher in the Rye. Including the novel, there are nine Caulfield stories, two of them resting within Salinger's unpublished works.
There is a veiled attempt at drawing these two segments of family together. Buddy Glass not only mentions a Curtis Caulfield, who sounds suspiciously like the Holden of some early Caulfield stories, but is himself a Gallagher."

All?
All?

All....

There is a thinly veiled attempt at drawing these two segments of family together. Buddy Glass not only mentions a Curtis Caulfield, who sounds suspiciously like the Holden of some early Caulfield stories, but is himself a Gallagher.

In fact, in Seymour's story, Buddy gets the credit for writing "The Catcher In The Rye."
It was right there....hiding in plain sight.


.....mind blown.....