I’m a little out of touch with the required reading lists in Australian high schools, but was surprised to hear that J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye is still part of the syllabus in US high schools.
Anne Trubek thinks it is time to retire Salinger’s classic, and suggests some alternatives.
Sure, J.D. Salinger’s novel was edgy and controversial when teachers first put it on their syllabi. But that was 50 years ago. Today, Salinger’s novel lacks the currency or shock value it once had, and has lost some of its critical cachet. But it is still ubiquitously taught even though many newer novels of adolescence are available.
