In this episode, Steven and Alex explore one of the most iconic American novels of the 20th Century, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Some of the themes include: Is this novel fundamentally a portrayal of teenage angst, or is Holden a more complicated character than an alienated youth?; Why is Holden so preoccupied with accusing most people as being 'phonies', especially when he recognises his own duplicities?; What is the significance of the role of Catcher in the Rye for Holden and for the novel itself?; While Holden ends up in an institution, is it possible that it is the society that he belongs to that is more 'unwell'?; Is this novel a coming-of-age tale or if not, what does that mean about the story?Further Resources:- A copy of the novel can be bought at Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catcher-Rye-J-D-Salinger-ebook/dp/B07W5FQLDP/ref=sr_1_1?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1642680367&refinements=p_28%3Athe+catcher+in+the+rye&s=books&sr=1-1&unfiltered=1- If you want to explore how great thinkers like Kant, Heidegger and Kierkegaard would've have reacted to Holden's tale, the book Cather in the Rye and Philosophy is a good collection of essays: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catcher-Rye-Philosophy-Bastards-Popular/dp/0812698002/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ZOH6CFHHJS3F&keywords=the+catcher+in+the+rye+and+philosophy&qid=1642680393&s=books&sprefix=the+catcher+in+the+rye+and+philosophy%2Cstripbooks%2C102&sr=1-1- The reclusive author was not an easy subject for a biographer to 'catch' but one of the most sympathetic biographies is Kenneth Slawenski's work: https://www.amazon.co.uk/J-D-Salinger-Kenneth-Slawenski/dp/1400069513/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TFWCFSORS5HX&keywords=jd+salinger+kenneth&qid=1642680522&s=books&sprefix=jd+salinger+kenneth%2Cstripbooks%2C82&sr=1-1 - The author's son gave a recent interview about his father: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2iYrFGeT3s- The filmmaker John Hughes has been called a J.D. Salinger for the eighties. Here is a collection of his movies and a book that analyses them: https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Hughes-5-Movie-Collection-DVD/dp/B082PQTRCY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=9ELT7Z33RFJL&keywords=john+hughes+collection&qid=1642681158&s=dvd&sprefix=john+hughes+collection%2Cdvd%2C108&sr=1-3 and 

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