Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

In Defense of the "Ringding Mukta" : The Later Work of J.D. Salinger

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/k0698c30t

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  • My thesis explores the later work of author J.D. Salinger, including two narratives featured in Nine Stories, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," and "Teddy," and Franny and Zooey, "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters," and "Seymour: an Introduction." Through my analysis I argue that the religious nature of Salinger's fiction has been cast aside far too quickly, and the lack of discourse concerning his later work is a devastating oversight. My defense is simple: the religious elements are in fact key to understanding and appreciating these stories -- to overlook the spiritual (albeit complicated) essence of his work, is to miss the whole thing -- not even Catcher would work without it. Moreover, I venture to display and further analyze the evolution of Salinger's spiritual quest, and by doing so I argue for the centrality of religion in the construction and development of Salinger's art. The role of the spiritual inherent in Salinger's story-telling is also used to lead us to what I argue is one of Salinger's greatest, yet most dismissed, works, "Seymour: an Introduction." Therefore, my defense is not only of the author and his work, but also of the author's most infamous creation: Seymour Glass. I believe that my exploration of Salinger's later fiction emphasizes that the very aspects of Salinger's fiction that people find fault with, are in fact the qualities that make it noteworthy.
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