The Catcher in the Rye

I think it's a really good book to just blitz through in one go. It's not too difficult to read compared to say, Wuthering Heights, but it's easy to see why it's lauded as a 'modern classic'. The character of Holden really frustrated me the first time I read it, because I just saw him as an angsty teen... and then I realised how much of myself I saw in him. To me, the sorts of people who regard the book with disdain are old fusty professors who don't feel the same affinity towards Holden as other teens might, the kinds of people who haven't quite figured out their place in the world. If you enjoyed Catcher, you might enjoy Look Back in Anger (a play) which sort of encapsulates a similar kind of angst but in a totally different sphere - British post-war cynicism and frustration at the "system". You might like it!

Yeah - Holden going around New York in the middle of the night sort of made me want to just run out of my house too, tbh. As for Wuthering Heights, I tried reading it but I didn't get it at all Will have to try and read it again soon

Also thanks for the recommendation! Will look into it

I know what you mean! It didn't help that I was reading it in a car, and I was so close to asking my dad to pull over so I could go run through some woods or something haha! Are you interested in doing English lit at uni then, or do you just like reading?

And no worries! I love chatting about books

Al I know about it is that it got banned from some places because someone felt like killing a celebrity after reading it, glorious South Park episode on it.

Oh that's awesome! So you're starting AS this coming year then? Do you know which exam board you are for English Lit? I could possibly give you some notes if you do similar books, as in English Lit AS I got 119/120 (I was NOT expecting it though!).

I haven't actually, although I've definitely got it on my shelf, rn I'm spending my life reading books on English Language and Linguistics in prep for PS writing aah! Now you've said that, I'm trying to think what my favourite book is... I really like Slaughterhouse 5 by Vonnegut, Brave New World and We, DH Lawrence is solid in his short stories but I've not made it through Sons and Lovers yet... Gatsby is my favourite novel we've studied in class; I wasn't enamoured by it reading it in my own time, but analysing it is pretty eye opening - I got 30/30 in my AS Gatsby essay so clearly the examiners agreed with my views on Daisy as criminally underrated!

Seriously, I could talk about (some aspects of) literature ALL DAY, especially if it includes the language and linguistic aspects!

It is my favourite book easily.
I read this though "After Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon, he calmly opened up Catcher in the Rye and proceeded to read it — before being apprehended. John Hinckley, the man who attempted to kill Ronald Reagan, also was in possession of the book. It is also alleged Lee Harvey Oswald whom murdered JFK was quite fond of the book, though this is disputed." - Pretty interesting.

Yup it is really interesting - I guess The Catcher in The Rye inspired some sort of rebellion? Tbh now that you mention it I think I'll do some research about the book being in the possession of murderers.

Yup, I am. The exam board is AQA, and I'm going to be studying Small Island, The Importance of Being Earnest and Twelfth Night. And yeah, if you could give me some notes that would be really great, thanks!

I need to read Brave New World, The Great Gatsby and Brave New World. I bought Bonjour Tristesse recently which I'm really excited to start after I finish reading Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time.

Whenever I'm snapping (unfortunately I am addicted to Snapchat) what I'm doing, and it is reading, everyone bemoans the fact that I'm reading in the summer. I don't really understand how people don't like reading tbh

It never provoke any homocidial tendencies in me Its is interesting to see how a book can influence someone

Just read some stuff, apparently Mark Chapman found John Lennon to be a "phony" because he was an atheist.

Darn it, I did OCR, but I still have a TON of tips for English lit anyway! Twelfth Night is fantastic and you can write some cracking essays about it, it's pretty easy to learn and I think you'll enjoy it! I don't know Small Island, and IOBE I know was enjoyable to study as my friends at another school studied it, but I have 0 personal experience with it, sorry!

If you get into dystopian fiction I would recommend reading We, then 1984, then Brave New World, as they're often considered to be parallel in their structures, contents and themes - We was published first by a Russian author and gives a fascinating insight into the emergence of the dystopian genre through novels like 1984 which essentially defined dystopian fiction. Vonnegut is another author to consider in the same/similar bracket, with Margaret Atwood's 'A Handmaid's Tale' an enthralling addition to the genre. I guess I like dystopian fiction specifically because of the way they use language as a feature of their twisted societies, suggesting perhaps that society is built on our ability to communicate and think using language; in 1984 there's 'Newspeak', in BNW Shakespeare is heavily used in characters like John the Savage - just look at the name of the novel - and in We, numbers are given massive significance. The way authors throughout the years have perceived language as fundamental to our being has truly inspired me to study the roots of language, what it does and why it does it and how, through reading Linguistics!

Frick, I love snapchat too man, I live for the filters (I'm such a white girl -_-), but reading is awesome! Seriously, keep up those habits, it'll do you a world of good at A Level and Uni and beyond

Is that why he killed him?!

Currently on the last 40 pages or so; personally I think the whole novel has been boring - it never really gets anywhere; just a teenage guy venting angst.