The Catcher in the Rye

SHOOT -—- <——---

4. the bull (breeze AmE)

6. yourself in the foot

5. someone (something) down in flames

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CONTENTS

Introduction.........................................................................................5

Part 1. Jerome David Salinger's Life and Career............................5

Part 2. Salinger's Novel "The Catcher in the Rye"..........................6

Part 3. The Language and Style of "The Catcher in the Rye".........8

Assignment 1 (Chapters 1-3)......................................................... 12

Vocabulary practice........................................................................ 12

Questions and tasks........................................................................ 14

Project work................................................................................... 16

Assignment 2 (Chapters 4-8)......................................................... 17

Vocabulary practice........................................................................ 17

Questions and tasks........................................................................ 18

Project work...................................................................................20

Assignment 3 (Chapters 9-14).......................................................21

Vocabulary practice........................................................................21

Questions and tasks........................................................................22

Project work...................................................................................25

Assignment 4 (Chapters 15-18).....................................................26

Vocabulary practice........................................................................26

Questions and tasks........................................................................27

Project work...................................................................................29

Assignment 5 (Chapters 19-22).....................................................31

Vocabulary practice........................................................................31

Questions and tasks........................................................................32

Project work...................................................................................34

Assignment 6 (Chapters 23-26)..................................................... 35

Vocabulary practice........................................................................35

Questions and tasks........................................................................36

Project work...................................................................................38

Review questions and tasks for the final discussion of the novel 39

Part 1. General Discussion.............................................................39

Part 2. Expressing Your Opinion.....................................................40

Part 3. Developing Character Analysis...........................................41

Part 4. Acting Out...........................................................................41

Glossary..............................................................................................42

Keys to the exercises......................................................................48

Appendices........................................................................................49

Appendix 1......................................................................................49

Appendix 2......................................................................................49

Appendix 3......................................................................................50

Bibliography.......................................................................................52

INTRODUCTION

Part 1. Jerome David Salinger's Life and Career

1. What do you know of J.D. Salinger? Read the following article about Salinger's life and career and answer the questions that follow.

Salinger, J(erome) D(avid) (Jan. 1, 1919, New York City - Jan. 27, 2010, Cornish, NH) Writer whose novel The Catcher in the Rye won him legions of admirers.

Salinger's stories began to appear in periodicals in 1940. He served in the wartime army, and was hospitalized for stress. His name and writing style became increasingly associated with the New Yorker, which published almost all his later stories. Some of the best made use of his wartime experiences: "For Esme - With Love and Squalor" (1950) describes a soldier's poignant encounter with two British children, and "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" (1948) concerns the suicide of the sensitive, despairing veteran Seymour Glass.

Major critical and popular recognition came with the publication of The Catcher in the Rye in 1951. Its humor and colorful language place it in the tradition of Huckleberry Finn and the stories of Ring Lardner, but its hero, like most of Salinger's younger characters, views his life with an added dimension of precious self-consciousness. The book has sold millions of copies in the decades since its publication. Nine Stories (1953) added to his reputation.

Eastern mysticism began to color Salinger's writings in the 1950s. Franny and Zooey (1961) brought together two earlier New Yorker stories; both deal with the Glass family, as do the two stories in Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963). He moved to Cornish, N.H., in 1953, and his reclusive habits in his later years made his personal life a matter of intense speculation among devotees. Successive candid memoirs by his young lover (1998) and his daughter (2000) evoked intense controversy.

From Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of American Writers, p. 354-355.

What is J.D. Salinger famous for? Have you read anything by this author? Give a summary of his life and career.

2. Try to find more facts about J.D. Salinger on the Internet and provide some information to the following headings.

Family and Social Background

Education

Wartime experience

Marriages and family life

The first and the last published works

Screen adaptations

Literary influences

Legal conflicts

Salinger's official site on the Web

\ 3. Make up J.D. Salinger's timeline featuring the major events and dates in his biography.

Part 2. Salinger's Novel "The Catcher in the Rye"

1. Read the following article about the novel. Summarize its main ideas.

The Catcher in the Rye Novel by J.D. Salinger, published in 1951. It details two days in the life of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield after he has been expelled from prep school. Confused and disillusioned, he wanders New York City searching for truth and railing against the "phoniness" of the adult world. He finds an old girlfriend Sally, but discovers the psychological gulf that has opened between them. Though anxious to avoid his parents, he manages to meet his beloved sister, Phoebe, who tries unsuccessfully to allay his black view of the world. He contacts a former English teacher, but flees after the teacher makes homosexual advances to him. He ends up in a psychiatrist's office, exhausted and emotionally ill. Influential and widely acclaimed (whose title, from a Robert Burns poem, reflects Holden's misreading of the poem), the novel has struck a powerful chord with generations of young readers.

From Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of American Writers, pp. 466-467.

2. Read a few curious facts about Salinger's novel "The Catcher in the Rye". What do they add to our understanding and appreciation of the novel?

"The Catcher in the Rye" was turned down both by the publishing house that solicited it, Harcour Brace, and The New Yorker. The magazine had published six of J.D. Salinger's short stories. But when the editors

were shown the novel, they told Salinger that the precocity of the four Caulfield children was not believable, and that the writing was showoffy. Salinger's agent took the book to Little, Brown, where it was published in July, 1951 to become a bestseller. It sells still some 250 000 copies annually. B.

Holden Caulfield first shows up in Salinger's work in 1941, in a story entitled "Slight Rebellion off Madison," which features a character called Holden (he is not a narrator) and his girlfriend, Sally Hayes. The story was bought by The New Yorker but not published until 1946. And there are characters in other stories that Salinger produced in mid-forties, for example the Caulfield family is the subject of two stories, "This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise" and "I'm Crazy".

Parallels between Holden Caulfield's and Salinger's life are evident, especially as their social background and educational careers are concerned. They both came from middle class families, grew up in New York City, attended several schools. Scholars often compare Pencey Prep to Valley Forge Military Academy, which Salinger attended from the ages of 15 to 17.

Salinger had a deep relationship with New York City, and the city itself is a character in "The Catcher in the Rye." The novel can almost serve as a guide to the city of a certain time. Several maps have been made that can go with the novel to trace Holden's perambulations around Manhattan, even to nonexistent places like the Edmont Hotel.

"The Catcher in the Rye" has always been the subject of intense censorship. In 1976, a legislative hearing in Oklahoma City involved a local censorship group seeking to prevent a bookseller from vending the book. In the 1980s, controversy emerged again in Pennsylvania when the book was assigned in a local literature class. Parents objected, and the school board voted to ban the book. Objections continue to this day. Some object to the frank discussion of sexuality, others to the main character's godlessness, and some simply to the portrayal of misanthropy.

Numerous literary works have referenced "The Catcher in the Rye". For example, in John Fowles's novel "The Collector" (1963) Miranda encourages her kidnapper Clegg to read this novel, thinking he might relate to Holden Caulfield's alienation. However, Clegg finds Holden's actions unrealistic given Holden's wealth and status, and "[doesn't] see much point in it".

3. "The Catcher in the Rye" appeals to its readers because of its universality, but it is important that it takes place mostly in Manhattan (New York City) at the crossroads of the 1940s and 1950s within a specific historical setting. What is the cultural, social and political background of the novel?

Part 3. The Language and Style of "The Catcher in the Rye"

According to many who have read "The Catcher in the Rye" the magic of it is largely due to the authenticity of the language used by the main character.

People and language

What we call a language exists in different forms or varieties which we choose and use in different situations and for different purposes. In other words, language exists as a complex of varieties. Language varieties may be situational in character. This distinction is evident in opposition between formal and informal language. Formal situations are characterized by greater care with which people choose ways of pronunciation, "correct" words and grammar. Informal situations are characterized by an easy and relaxed way of verbal interaction. Another way to describe a language variety is to relate it to a particular social group or a particular speaking style of an individual.

In the novel Holden's speech reflects the typical teenage speech habits of his contemporaries. In other words, Holden uses teenage slang.

What is slang?

Slang is an informal variety of language. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as: "language of a highly colloquial type, considered as below the level of educated standard speech, and consisting either of new words or of current words employed in some special sense".

The use of slang establishes a sense of commonality between the user and the listener as belonging to the same "tribe". It provides catchy and memorable labels for us versus them. With slang, each generation or subculture group has the chance to shape and propagate its own lexicon and doing so to exercise originality and imagination.

One more advantage is that slang is much more effective in comparison with the standard language when talking about "problematic" issues such as sex, vice and etc.

It should be remembered that slang possesses a short-lived nature and must constantly regenerate as a body of speech.

Youth is one of the most powerful stimuli for creation and distribution of slang. Youth slang is often a defiant gesture of resistance and an emblem of tribe identity. In American English the slang of youth exerts enormous power.

Typical features of Holden's speech:

1) careless pronunciation as in "callin' ", "comin'", "got'em";

2) loose expressions such as "and all", "or something", "or anything";

3) repetition of favourite words and phrases without elaborating on the topic: "stupid", "phony", "lousy";

4) "bad words" and vulgarity: "hell", "ass", "goddam", "bastard";

5) specific word-building patterns with -y: "Christmasy", "pimply";

6) non-grammatical sentence structure. Cf: I'd woke him up. /1 woke he and his wife. /1 hardly didn't even know.

Why do people use slang?

Read the list of reasons for slang usage suggested by the British lexicographer Eric Partridge (1894-1979). Which of them could explain the peculiarities of Holden's speech?

People use slang:

1) in sheer high spirits, by the young in heart as well as by the young in years, "just for the fun of the thing", in playfulness or waggishness;

2) as an exercise either of wit and ingenuity or in humour;

3) to be "different", to be novel;

4) to be picturesque (either positively or negatively);

5) to be unmistakably arresting, even startling;

6) to escape from cliches, or to be brief and concise;

7) to enrich the language;

8) to lend the air of solidity, concreteness, to the abstract; of earthiness to the idealistic, of immediacy to the remote;

9) a) to reject, refuse; b) to reduce the solemnity and excessive seriousness; c) to soften the tragedy, or to mask the ugliness;

10) to speak to the inferior, to amuse a superior, or to be on a colloquial level with either one's audience;

11) for ease of social intercourse;

12) to induce either friendliness or intimacy;

13) to be "in the swim";

14) to show that someone is not "in the swim";

15) to be secret, not understood by those around.

Holden's Words Test

Match the "Holden word" on the left with the meaning on the right.

1. lousy	A. thrown out, lost the job
2. touchy	B. money
3. crumby	C. a crazy person
4. very big deal	D. impressed with
5. dough	E. very good, pleasant
6. it killed me	F. excited and pleased by something
7. flunk	G. garbage, nonsense
8. stiff	H. got me angry
9. madman	I. dirty, not well kept
10. moron	J. not interesting, old-fashioned
11. strictly for the birds	K. very stupid person
12. kick out of it	L. play, fool around
13. corny	M. important, significant
14. phony	N. loud continuous noise
15. got the ax	O. sensitive
16. crap	P. dead body
17. racket	Q. hypocrite, two-faced
18. horse around	R. is of no interest
19. drove me crazy	S. bad, of low quality, not nice
20. swell	T. fail

Language and individuality

Individuality in language is a complex matter, arising from variations in sex, physique, personality, background, interests, and experience. In everyday verbal interaction we normally do not pay much attention to what language can reveal about individuality. The fact can be explained by the main function of language which consists in sharing meaning. In this aspect differences in usage caused by individuality might get in the way of mutual understanding. But there are a number of important cases where individuality in the use of language, a personal style, as it is usually called, is considered to be a matter of importance, and worthy of study in its own right. One of these cases is when we study stylistic features that relate to constraints on language use identified by the authors' preferences.

What is the author's style?

The author's style is formed up by a complex of features. It is revealed in the theme and the message of the story. It is reflected in the choice of

the point of view. It is shaped by stylistic devices. It makes the story have a tone.

For many students it seems difficult to define an individual author's style as they have to analyze correlations between the creative concepts of the authors and the language of their works. However, the way to define it is to read books.

ASSIGNMENT 1 (Chapters 1-3)

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

1. Pick out and translate the sentences with the active vocabulary. Learn the words and phrases and use them while discussing the chapters.

To mold smb / smth into smth

To have a very good academic rating

To flunk a subject

To apply oneself

A dormitory, campus, academic building A senior, junior To carry a subject

2. In British and American English different words can be used for the same idea, or the same word can have different meanings. Give British equivalents to the following Americanisms:

movie (n.) flunk/ flunk out (v.) dorm (dormitory) (n.) subway (n.) closet (n.) to be sore buck (n.) vacation (n.)

3. Here are some idioms with the verbs "hit" and "shoot". Match them with their definitions. Which idioms are used in the chapters? Recall the situations with them.

2. the sack

1. the road (trail AmE)		3.
-	_ —_
	HIT

a) to have a casual conversation (infml),

b) forcefully destroy an argument or proposal,

c) inadequately make a situation worse for oneself; demonstrate gross incompetence,

d) set out on a journey,

e) suddenly become angry (infml),

f) go to bed (infml).

4. Look up the definitions of these verbs in an English-English dictionary. Find out the common semantic element of their meanings and discuss their stylistic connotations. Make up your own sentences with the verbs, note the example which occurs in Chapter 1: The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train.

Reject, rebuff, snub, ostracize, shun.

5. Look up the definitions of these words and phrases in an English-English dictionary. In what meanings are they used in the context of the chapters? If necessary consult Glossary Translate the sentences in which they are used in the chapters.

Job (n.), hotshot (adj.), faggy (adj.), ratty (adj.), knock smb out, hate smb's guts, be a goner.

6. Consult Glossary and check the meaning of the following terms. Explain how they are linked to the context of the chapters.

Pennsylvania Yellowstone Park Revolutionary War Central Park Ring Lardner

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

Chapters 1-3

While reading the chapters check whether the following statements are true or false:

A. Holden begins his story during the Saturday of the football game with Saxon Hall.

B. Holden arrives at Mr. Spencer's house and is let in by his teacher's daughter.

C. Spencer tells Holden that he failed him in History because he knew nothing.

D. As Holden and Mr. Spencer continue to talk, Holden's mind wanders to the ducks in Central Park.

E. Holden finally manages to escape from Mr. Spencer's lecture, saying he has to go home.

F. Holden returns to Pencey where he lives in the Ossenburger Memorial Wing of the new dorms.

G. Ackley, Holden's roommate, barges in. Ackley has a terrible personality and an even worse complexion.

H. Ward Stradlater asks to borrow Holden's jacket as he prepares to go out for the evening.

Chapter 1

I. Read and comment on the opening paragraph, define it as a type of narrative and present its content in your own words. Why does Holden refuse to speak about his early life? How does he feel about his family and childhood? Comment on Holden's way of speaking.

2. Compare the opening paragraph of Salinger's novel to that of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", 1884 (see Appendix 1). Point out some features of narrative used in these opening passages.

3. Describe the school Holden went to (Pencey Preparatory School).

4. Answer the following questions.

Why was the Saturday football match so important? Did Holden have any interest in it? Why? What were Holden's reasons for not playing the football game? Was it an exciting sight the way the two teams played it?

What kind of student was Holden? Did he have any problems with his studies? Why? How did he feel about leaving Pencey?

5. Summarize the facts we learn about Holden from Chapter 1. Discuss the way the author draws Holden's portrait through the boy's self-description.

Chapter 2

1. Write out the words and phrases describing Mr Spencer and his wife. Discuss Mr and Mrs Spencer's portraits. What are they like?

2. Speak on Holden's visit to Mr Spencer. Render their conversation in indirect speech. What was Holden's attitude to his teacher?

3. Discuss in pairs what is meant by the following.

"...Life being a game and all. And how you should play according to the rules";

"But if you get on the other side, where there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a game about it? Nothing.";

"...they'll be pretty irritated about it...They really will. This is about the forth school I've gone to";

"The one side of my head - the right side - is full of millions of gray hairs".

4. Answer the following questions:

What was the problem with Holden's exam paper? What do you think of it?

Was it the right thing for Mr Spencer to read it and the boy's little note aloud? Why?

Why did Holden Leave Elkton Hills school? How did he describe headmaster Mr. Haas there?

5. Read and translate the passage from Chapter 2. Begin with: "Boy! I said...", end with: "Old Spencer started nodding again".

6. Were Holden's descriptions, behaviour and thoughts typical of an adolescent? Can you prove it?

Chapter 3

1. Answer the following questions.

Why did Holden call himself "the most terrific liar your ever saw in your life "? Can there be any psychological explanation? How did he feel about it?

Why was the wing of the new dormitories called after Ossenburger? What was he? Did Holden consider him a phony? Why?

What was so peculiar about Holden's red hunting hat? How did he wear it? Why?

What was Holden's attitude to reading books? What were his favourite books? What did he particularly like in books? Are there any writers you would like to talk to? Why?

2. Compare and contrast Robert Ackley and Ward Stradlater (their appearance, habits, behaviour and speech). What do we learn about them? Summarize the writer's method in presenting these characters to the reader.

PROJECT WORK

Make up a Power Point presentation and give a mini lecture on one of the topics.

1. The system of education in the USA (types of schools, funding, state and public control).

2. The system of physical education in American schools.

3. National sports in the USA and the role sports play in the US culture.

ASSIGNMENT 2 (Chapters 4-8)

2. In British and American English different words can be used for the same idea, or the same word can have different meanings. Give British equivalents to the following Americanisms.

can (n.)

shorts (n.)

checkers (n.)

conductor (n.)

car (n.)

faculty (n.)

3. Read the following sentences and state the meanings of the italicised collocations, give their Russian equivalents. Make up your own sentences with the collocations.

To mess smth up:

A. He had one of those very piercing whistles that are practically never in tune... He could really mess a song up.

B. Don't ask Terry to do it- she'll probably just mess it up. To get in a mess:

C. Then, all of a sudden, I got in this big mess.

D. How did you manage to get into this mess in the first place? Who can help you now?

To mess about / around:

E. Stop messing around and get ready for school!

F. Paul blew off his fingers messing around with homemade rockets.

To make a mess of smth:

G. He made a mess of things in the park, but it's the first time he's got it wrong.

H. She picked herself up and started the dance again, determined not to make a mess of it this time.

To be in a mess

I. The economy could easily be in a mess by the time of the next election.

J. The whole house is in a mess, but I didn't have time to clean it up.

To be (look) a mess:

K. "Coffee, gentlemen,/z«ally," Mrs. Antolini said... "Holden, don't you even peek at me. I'm a mess."

L. When the police called, I had just got up, and my hair looked a mess.

4. Look up the definitions of these words and phrases in an English-English dictionary. In what meanings are they used in the context of the chapters? If necessary consult Glossary. Translate the sentences in which they are used in the chapters.

Exhibitionist (n.), fiend (n.), ace (n.), sack (n.), lousy (lousy with smth)

5. Consult Glossary and check the meaning of the following terms. Explain how they are linked to the context of the chapters.

Ziegfeld Follies

B.M.

Shipley

Gary Grant

Abraham Lincoln

QUESTIONS AND TASKS Chapters 4-8

While reading the chapters check whether the following statements are true or false:

A. Holden is first shocked and then concerned when he learns that his roommate's date that night is Jane Gallagher.

B. Stradlater talks Holden into writing an English theme paper for him.

C. Holden decides to write about his brother Allie's left-handed baseball glove.

D. Stradlater likes Holden's choice of a baseball glove for a descriptive essay.

E. Holden decides to leave Pencey. He is going to take a room in a hotel in New York and take it easy until Wednesday.

F. Since it is too late to call a cab in Agerstown, Holden walks to the train station.

G. The woman on the train strikes up a conversation with Holden, noticing the Pencey sticker on his suitcase.

H. Holden tells Mrs. Morrow that he is leaving Pencey early because of his younger brother's death.

Chapter 4

I. Comment on the following sentences.

"He always looked good when he was finished fixing himself up, but he was a secret slob anyway..."

"He doesn't want me to be a tap dancer. He wants me to go to Oxford. But it's in my goddamn blood, tap-dancing"

"She wouldn't move any of her kings. What she'd do, when she'd get a king, she wouldn't move it. She'd just leave it in the back row"

"I pulled the peak of my hunting hat around to the front all of a sudden, for a change. I was getting sort of nervous, all of a sudden".

2. Write out the words and phrases referring to Ward Stradlater and describe him. Give his character sketch.

3. Answer the following questions.

Why did Holden get so excited when he found out the name of Stradlater's date? What do we learn about Jane Gallagher?

Why did Holden keep repeating that Jane and he used to play checkers and "she kept all her kings in the back row"?

Chapter 5

1. Speak on Saturday nights at Pencey. Why were the children given the same meal on Saturday?

2. Answer the following questions.

What features of Holden's character are revealed in the way he treated Ackley?

What is your impression of Holden's composition? Was it descriptive? Original? Why did he dislike describing rooms and houses in an ordinary way?

Why did Holden break all the windows in the garage he was sleeping in on the night his brother died?

3. Write out words and phrases referring to Holden's younger brother. Comment on their choice. What do the readers learn about Allie? What was Holden's attitude to his younger brother?

Chapter 6

1. Give a summary of the chapter.

2. Answer the following questions.

What made Stradlater so furious when he read Holden's composition? What was the boys' fight about? Was Holden good at fighting? Why did he call himself a pacifist? How does this episode characterize him?

Chapter 7

1. Comment on Holden's sudden decision to leave Pencey and what he planned to do.

2. Answer the following questions.

What was Holden's mental and emotional state when he was leaving Pencey? Why?

Why did Holden feel sad almost every time somebody gave him a present? What is better: to give presents or to receive them? Why? Did Holden have many things to pack up?

Why was he so particular about his red hunting hat? Does the hat acquire any symbolic meaning? Why?

Chapter 8

1. Render the content of the chapter in indirect speech. What was the real reason for Holden to lie so often and take to "horsing around"? Comment on the role of Holden's inner speech.

2. Speak on Mrs Morrow and Holden's attitude to her.

3. Read and translate the passage from Chapter 8. Begin with: "Excuse me, but isn't that...", end with "Sensitive. That killed me..."

PROJECT WORK

Make up a Power Point presentation and give a mini lecture on one of the topics.

1. Typical ways Americans cope with depression.

2. The ways of travelling around the USA (discuss different types of transportation, their advantages and disadvantages).

ASSIGNMENT 3 (Chapters 9-16)

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

1. Pick out and translate the sentences with the active vocabulary. Learn the words and phrases and use them while discussing the chapters.

To give a buzz / call

On me (to be on smb / on the house)

Watch your language (your tongue, your mouth)

To be over one's head

To know smb / smth like a book

A rubberneck (rubbernecker), to rubberneck, rubbering

2. In British and American English different words can be used for the same idea, or the same word can have different meanings. Give British equivalents to the following Americanisms.

elevator (n.) vest (n.) apartment (n.) plug (v.) drugstore (n.) candy (n.) curb (n.)

gasoline (gas) (n.)

3. Here are some idioms with the noun "money". Match them with their definitions, give their Russian equivalents. Use some idioms in short situations.

1. money talks	A. to give money to a company or business so that it will become successful and you will earn money from it in the future
2. marry (into) money	B. used to say that people with money have power and can get what they want
3. be in the money	C. to show by your actions that you really believe what you say
4. put your money where your mouth is	D. to have a lot of money suddenly, or when you did not expect to
5. have money to burn	E. to marry someone whose family is rich
6. throw money at something	F. to have more money than you need, so that you spend it on unnecessary things

7. put / pump / pour money into something

G. to try to solve a problem by spending a lot of money but without really thinking about the problem_

4. Look up the definitions of these adjectives in an English-English dictionary (groups A and B). Find out the common semantic element of their meanings and discuss their stylistic connotations. Make up your own sentences with the adjectives, note the example which occurs in Chapter 9: "/ hope you'll forgive me, but I was very anxious to get in touch with you. " I said it suave as hell. I really did.

Polite, courteous, tactful, discreet, suave. B.

Unconcerned, blase, casual, nonchalant.

5. Look up the definitions of these words and phrases in an English-English dictionary. In what meanings are they used in the context of the chapters? If necessary consult Glossary. Translate the sentences in which they are used in the chapters.

Highball (n.), pimpy-looking (adj.), from hunger, grool (n.), crocked (adj.), chisel (n., v.)

6. Consult Glossary and check the meaning of the following terms. Explain how they are linked to the context of the chapters.

Penn Station Princeton

Radio City Music Hall Greenwich Village Ivy League Quaker

QUESTIONS AND TASKS Chapters 9-14

While reading the chapters check whether the following statements are true or false.

A. Holden takes a cab to the Edmont Hotel where he observes unusual happenings from the window of his shabby room.

B. Phoebe reminds Holden of Allie in physical appearance, but she is very emotional.

C. Holden goes down to the Lavender Room, a nightclub in a hotel in Greenwich Village.

D. Holden admits that Jane is the only person whom he showed Allie's baseball mitt.

E. In the cab to Ernie's, Holden talks with Horwitz, the cab driver, about the weather.

F. Holden walks the forty-one blocks back to the hotel, wearing his red hunting cap, missing his gloves.

G. After Sunny leaves, Holden sits in a chair and talks aloud to his brother Allie.

H. Holden argues with Maurice, the elevator boy, and threatens to call the cops.

Chapter 9

I. Answer the questions.

Why do you think Holden wanted to call someone as soon as he got off the train?

Why didn't he want to go home? Why didn't he want to stay at any hotel on the East Side?

Where did Holden stay? Was it an odd place?

2. Render the dialogue between Holden and Faith Cavendish in indirect speech. Write out the words describing their manner of speaking and comment on their use.

3. Give a character sketch of Faith Cavendish.

Chapter 10

1. Write out words and phrases referring to Holden's sister Phoebe. Describe her. Compare Phoebe and Allie.

2. Speak on the episode in the Lavender Room. Describe the place and the people there. What were the girls Holden met there like? Point out any cases of irony in Holden's inner speech. Do you think Holden had a nice sense of humour? Do you find him far more intelligent than the three girls?

3. Discuss in pairs the following sentences. In what situations were they used? How do these sentences characterize Holden?

a) "In New York, boy, money really talks - I'm not kidding";

b) "If I think there isn't anything underneath my hand - no can, no legs, no feet, no anything - then the girl's really a terrific dancer";

c) "Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are";

d) "Some people you shouldn't kid, even if they deserve it".

Chapter 11

1. Answer the following questions.

Why couldn't Holden get Jane Gallagher out of his mind? What did he recollect about Jane and their friendship? What was Jane like? What was her attitude to Holden? Why did Holden always avoid introspection and reflection of his inner world but focused only on the world around him?

Was Holden's emotional state in the hotel similar to Jane's? Why?

Chapter 12

1. Render the dialogue between Holden and the taxi driver in indirect speech. What does Holden's recurrent question about ducks imply?

2. What was Holden's usual attitude to people he came in contact with? Give examples.

Chapters 13-14

1. Comment on Holden's reflections concerning his "yellowness". What did he mean by it: his inexperience or naivety?

2. Expand on his conclusion: "Maybe I'm not all yellow. I don't know. I think maybe I'm just partly yellow and partly the type that doesn't... care too much when I lose something...". What was the reason he hated fist fights?

3. Read ant translate the passage from Chapter 13. Begin with: "For instance if I'd found out...", end with: "It could go on like that for hours..."

4. Describe the girl the elevator boy sent to Holden. Comment on Holden's words: "She was a pretty spooky kid... If she'd been a big old prostitute, with a lot of makeup on her face and all, she wouldn't have been half as spooky." What was spooky about Sunny?

5. Answer the following questions.

Why did Sunny and Maurice come back to Holden? Can their brutal treatment of Holden be explained? Why did Holden feel like committing suicide? Read and expand on the final paragraph of Chapter 14.

What was Holden's attitude to religion and the Bible? Comment on it.

PROJECT WORK

Make up a Power Point presentation and give a mini lecture on one of the topics.

1. New York City at the turn of the 1950s, find some information about its famous landmarks of that time.

2. The system of higher education in the USA and the role of the Ivy League in it.

ASSIGNMENT 4 (Chapters 15-18)

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

1. Pick out and translate the sentences with the active vocabulary. Learn the words and phrases and use them while discussing the chapters.

A spendthrift To flop

To be a very light eater To strike up a conversation To collect money for charity To take up a collection To make a contribution A benefit performance To show up

To show-off, a show-off

2. Study the following idioms with the noun "sky".

out of a clear blue sky (out of the blue)

the sky is the limit

to praise smb to the skies

pie in the sky

Read the following sentences and state the meaning of these idioms, give their Russian equivalents. Make up your own sentences with the idioms.

A. Then all of a sudden, out of a clear blue sky, old Sally said, "Are you or aren't you coming over to help me trim the tree Christmas Eve?"

B. Do you remember Jane? Well, she phoned me yesterday, completely out of the blue.

C. Francis believes the sky's the limit for the young goal-keeper.

D. We try to make our engineers feel that the sky's the limit when it comes to what they can design.

E. Any talk of getting a reasonable response from the terrorists is just pie in the sky.

F. Do not be deceived into throwing away a decent offer in pursuit of pie in the sky.

G. The Mayor praised the rescue teams to the skies.

H. Yet now he was praising her virtue to the skies.

3. Look up the definitions of these adjectives in an English-English dictionary. Find out the common semantic element of their meanings and discuss their connotations. Make up your own sentences with the adjectives, note the example which occurs in Chapter 17: The worst part was, the jerk had one of those very phony, Ivy League voices, one of those very tired, snobby voices.

Snobbish (snobby), pompous, self-important, haughty, snotty.

Swanky (adj.), rave (v.), bunk(n.), half gainer (n.)

5. Consult Glossary on page 43 and check the meaning of the following terms. Explain how they are linked to the context of the chapters.

West Point

Grand Central Station

Salvation Army

Fifth Avenue

Dixieland

Broadway

Columbia

D-Day

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

Chapters 15-18

While reading the chapters check whether the following statements are true or false:

A. Holden makes a date to meet Jane for a matinee.

B. While eating a large breakfast at a sandwich bar, Holden meets two nuns who are schoolteachers from Detroit.

C. Holden wants to buy a recording, for Phoebe, of an old song called "Little Shirley Beans".

D. At the theatre, Holden buys tickets for "I Know My Love," a play starring the Lunts.

E. Sally is thrilled that they will get to see the Lunts and is disappointed by the performance.

F. Holden suggests that he and Sally drive up to New England where they can stay in a cabin camp.

G. Holden calls Carl Luce, a friend from the Whooton School who goes to N.Y.U.

H. Holden then goes to the movies and is annoyed when a woman beside him becomes too emotional.

Chapter 15

I. Render the dialogue between Sally and Holden in indirect speech. Comment on it and Holden's reflections about Sally. Give a character sketch of Sally.

2. Describe the two nuns. What was Holden's attitude to inexpensive-looking suitcases? Why?

3. Compare the two dialogues (the one with Sally and the other with the nuns). What is their general tone? Account for the choice of words. How does it contribute to revealing Holden's attitude to Sally and the two nuns? Did he enjoy talking to the nuns? What was he afraid of the whole time he was talking to them?

Chapter 16

1. Read and translate the passage from Chapter 16. Begin with "I couldn't stop thinking about those two nuns....", end with: "It made me sad anyway." Could Holden imagine his mother or aunt collecting money for charity? Why? What does it mean to be charitable?

2. Point out any episodes that show Holden's attitude towards little children. In what way do they characterize him?

3. Why did Holden want to buy the record "Little Shirley Beans"? What was special about it?

4. Comment on Holden's views on Hamlet played by Lawrence Olivier. What did his sister like in the play?

5. Expand on Holden's recollections of the time he was a kid and went to the Natural Museum. Comment on the following passage: "The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move... Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you...".

Chapter 17

1. Read the opening of the chapter, begin with "A lot of schools were homes...", end with "But I have to be careful about that". What stylistic device does the author use in it? What effect is achieved by it?

2. How does Sally strike you? Speak on Holden's conflicting emotions towards Sally. What was her reaction to his big idea? How did Holden feel at that moment? Refer to the text to prove your point.

3. Say some words about George. Why did he irritate Holden so much?

4. Discuss in pairs what is meant by the following passages.

A. begin with "Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were the old couple..." end with "... I have to admit it."

B. begin with "You ought to go to a boys' school sometime..." end with "...If you try to have a little intelligent-".

Chapter 18

1. Answer the following questions.

What is an inferiority complex? How did Holden explain it? Do you think Holden had an inferiority complex?

What was Holden impression of the film he went to see at Radio City?

What made him think that people who cry their eyes out over silly sentimental pictures are nine out of ten mean at heart? Do you agree with him?

2. Discuss in pairs what is meant by the following statements.

A....I really think he [D.B.] hated the Army worse than the war...

B....I don't see how D.B. could hate the Army and war and all so much and still like a phony like that [the novel A Farewell to Arms].

3. Read and compare two poems by Rupert Brooke and Emily Dickinson (see Appendix 2). What did Allie mean by saying that Emily Dickinson was the best war poet?

PROJECT WORK

1. Make up a Power Point presentation and give a mini lecture on one of the topics.

A. Charitable organizations in the USA and their missions.

B. The military service in the USA.

2. Find some more information about the authors of the books "A Farewell to Arms" and "The Great Gatsby" and make a presentation on their lives and careers.

ASSIGNMENT 5 (Chapters 24-22)

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

1. Pick out and translate the sentences with the active vocabulary. Learn the words and phrases and use them while discussing the chapters.

A big shot To feel blue

To know smth like the back of one's hand

To hold one's breath

To spread out

To get wide-awake

To get fisty

To smack smb with one's fist To squeal

2. In British and American English different words can be used for the same idea, or the same word can have different meanings. Give British equivalents to the following Americanisms.

pants (n.) checkroom (n.) foyer (n.) recess (n.) math (n.) garbage pails dandy (adj.) principal (n.) carrousel (n.) fall (n.)

3. Here are some idioms with the noun "eye". Match them with their definitions. Make up your own sentences with them.

1. to give smb the eye (the old eye)	A. to watch carefully so that you will notice when someone or something appears
2. to have a (good) eye for something	B. to know what is happening all around you, even when this seems impossible
.3. to keep an eye open/out (for something)	C. to ignore something or pretend that you do not know it is happening
4. to have eyes in the back of your head	D. used to say that you have taken more food than you are able to eat

5. to have eyes bigger than your belly	E. to be good at noticing a particular type of thing, especially something attractive, valuable, of good quality etc.
6. to close/shut your eyes to something	F. to look at someone in a way that shows you think they are sexually attractive

4. Look up the definitions of these adjectives in an English-English dictionary. Point out the common semantic element of their meanings and discuss their stylistic connotations. Make tip your own sentences with the adjectives, note the example which occurs in Chapter 20: The one thing I did, though, I was careful as hell not to get boisterous or anything.

Boisterous, active, tireless, lively, vivacious, animated.

5. Look up the definitions of these words and phrases in an English-English dictionary. In what meanings are they used in the context of the chapters? If necessary consult Glossary. Translate the sentences in which they are used in the chapters.

Snow (v.), goose (n., v.), bull session, fraternity (n.), cockeyed (adj.)

6. Consult Glossary on page 43 and check the meaning of the following terms. Explain how they are linked to the context of the chapters.

Nantucket Benedict Arnold Annapolis

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

Chapters 19-22

While reading the chapters check whether the following statements are true or false:

A. Carl Luce leaves for a date after having drinks with Holden.

B. Holden strikes up a conversation with the singer who tells him to go home and go to bed.

C. As he walks home, Holden drops Phoebe's record and nearly starts to cry when it shatters into pieces.

D. Holden figures that he should sneak home and see Phoebe and his parents.

E. Holden returns home, where he is very quiet so as not to awake his parents. Phoebe is asleep in D.B.'s room.

F. Holden shows Phoebe the broken record, and admits that he got kicked out of Pencey.

G. Phoebe asks Holden for one thing that he dislikes a lot.

H. Putting Phoebe back to bed, Holden decides to call up Mr. Antolini, a former teacher at Elkton Hills who now teaches English at N.Y.U.

Chapter 19

I. Give a summary of the chapter.

2. Give a character sketch of Carl Luce (analyze his behaviour and speech). Does he seem to be an important personage in the novel? Why (not)?

3. Comment on Holden's behaviour. What did he want to get from Luce? How did he feel?

Chapter 20

1. Speak on Holden's night visit to Central Park and the way he imagined how he got pneumonia and died. What did he think about? Was it a childish way to think?

2. In what way is this episode important in the novel? Does it acquire any symbolic meaning?

3. What did Holden finally decide to do? Comment on the final sentence in the chapter.

Chapter 21

1. Answer the following questions.

Why did Holden consider that he was lucky when he got home? Why did Phoebe like to sleep in D.B.'s room when he was away in Hollywood?

How did Holden feel in his brother's room with Phoebe asleep and her things neat and each in its place?

Why did the author give such a detailed description of Phoebe's clothes?

Why did Holden like to read children's notebooks? Was there anything striking about Phoebe's notebook?

2. Read and translate the paragraph from Chapter 21. Begin with "Anyway....", end with "...still look all right". Comment on it.

3. Render the dialogue between Holden and Phoebe in indirect speech.

Chapter 22

1. Give a character sketch of Phoebe. Analyze her manner of speaking and the way she behaved.

2. Answer the following questions. How did Holden treat his little sister?

Why did he consider Pencey to be one of the worst schools he ever went to?

Why was it difficult for him to name "one thing he liked a lot"? What was James Castle? What happened to him? What effect did it have on Holden?

3. Comment on the passage from Chapter 22 beginning with "Anyway I keep..." up to "I know it's crazy". What do the rye field and the cliff symbolize? Why did Holden want to be the catcher in the rye?

PROJECT WORK

1. Translate Robert Burns' song "Comin' thro' the rye" (see Appendix 3) into Russian, and present your translation to your fellow students.

2. Make a tourist brochure "A Guide to Central Park", giving some general information about its history and landmarks.

ASSIGNMENT 6 (Chapters 23-26)

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

1. Pick out and translate the sentences with the active vocabulary. Learn the words and phrases and use them while discussing the chapters.

To make it snappy

To cut classes

Without batting an eyelash

A stationery store

To skip school

2. Here are some idioms with the noun "bucket".

A drop in the bucket (in the ocean AmE)

In buckets

To kick the bucket

To weep buckets

Read the following sentences and state the meaning of these idioms, give their Russian equivalents. Make up your own sentences with them.

A. Third World debt is so massive that recent pledges to reduce or forgive it are just a drop in the bucket.

B. 5000 new schools are to be built, but this is just a drop in the ocean for such a vast country.

C. Boy, it began to rain like a bastard. In buckets, I swear to God.

D. I don't like when it rains... That night it came down in buckets.

E. When I kick the bucket you'll be able to live on my life insurance.

F. I wept buckets, but it wasn't until later that I realized what had happened.

G. When a girl was caught stealing sugar from the kitchen she wept buckets at the telling off she received.

3. Look up the definitions of these verbs in an English-English dictionary (groups A and B). Point out the common semantic element of their meanings and discuss their stylistic connotations. Make up your own sentences with five verbs, note the example which occurs in Chapter 25: / was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth.

Enter, get in, gain admission, barge in, breeze in. B.

Shout, yell, scream, cheer, roar, bawl, bellow.

Oiled (oiled up), bum (n., v.), affected (adj.)

5. Consult Glossary and check the meaning of the following terms. Explain how they are linked to the context of the chapters.

N.Y.U. Buffalo Lexington Holland Tunnel

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

Chapters 23-26

While reading the chapters check whether the following statements are true or false:

A. Holden and Phoebe dance to the radio, but their parents come home and Holden hides in the closet.

B. Holden and Mr. Antolini discuss Pencey, and Holden tells how he failed English.

C. Holden goes to sleep, and wakes up to find Mr. Antolini's hand on his head.

D. In a final attempt to save himself, Holden decides to go "way out West" and live as a deaf-mute.

E. Holden goes to Phoebe's school to find her and say goodbye.

F. Phoebe arrives, wearing Holden's hunting hat and dragging D.B.'s old suitcase.

G. Holden buys Phoebe a ticket for the carousel, and watches her go around on it as "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" plays.

H. Holden says that people are concerned about whether he will apply himself next year.

Chapter 23

I. Give a summary of the chapter.

2. Read and translate the paragraph from Chapter 23 beginning with "He was about the best teacher I ever had..." Comment on it. Why did Holden respect Mr. Antolini?

Chapter 24

1. Speak on Mr. Antolini and his wife. Compare Mr. Antolini to Mr. Spencer and D.B. Are there any similarities and contrasts?

2. Comment on Mr. Antolini's ideas expressed in the dialogues with Holden. Did Mr. Antolini help Holden see his own problems and self-imposed alienation from the world?

3. Why did Holden leave Mr. Antolini's place so suddenly?

Chapter 25

1. Describe the pre-Christmas atmosphere in New York City and Holden's conflicting emotions.

2. Speak on Holden's musings about himself, his little brother and what he would like to do and how he would like to live. Prove that although Allie does not appear as a character, his role is very important in the novel.

3. Answer the following questions:

Why did Holden go to Phoebe's school? What made him feel even worse when he was walking up the stairs? Why?

Where was Holden waiting for Phoebe? Who did Holden meet in the museum? What were the boys doing? Prove that Holden knew how to talk to them and how to treat them.

What did Holden see on the wall in the museum? Why couldn't he find a place that was nice and peaceful?

4. Speak on Holden meeting Phoebe. What did Phoebe decide to do? What did she have with her? Does Phoebe's decision characterize her in any way? What was Holden's reaction to her decision?

5. Describe the way Holden and Phoebe spent the day. Where did Holden and Phoebe go together?

6. Discuss the symbolism of the final scene in the chapter. What is the prevailing atmosphere and tone there?

Chapter 26

1. Answer the following questions.

Does the end of the novel sound ambiguous?

What were Holden's plans? Was he going to apply himself?

Was Holden still burdened with the same problems?

2. Compare the ending in Chapter 25 to the end of the novel (Chapter 26). Does the tone feel very different between the two? What might this tell us about how Holden is now (at seventeen) as compared to how he was then (at sixteen)?

3. Read out and comment on the closing lines of the novel. Begin with "I sort of miss everybody.end with "...you start missing everybody."

PROJECT WORK

1. Make up a Power Point presentation on popular museums in New York City. Choose one museum and speak about its history, collections and exhibitions.

2. Draw a companion map to "The Catcher in the Rye" and make a presentation tracing Holden Caulfield's journey around Manhattan.

REVIEW QUESTIONS AND TASKS FOR THE FINAL DISCUSSION OF THE NOVEL

PART 1. General Discussion

1. Summarize your general impression of the novel. What are its merits and shortcomings from your point of view?

2. "The Catcher in the Rye" is about a teenager who spends two days in New York City at the turn of the 1950s. Is the novel relevant to the modern teenage culture? Why (not)?

3. Make a mixed CD with ten songs for Holden Caulfield, if he were around today. In a letter to Holden explain why you are including each of the ten songs, referring to their lyrics and using evidence from the situations and themes of the novel.

Variant 1. Make up a list of contemporary books that would be of much interest to Holden.

Variant 2. Make up a list of contemporary films that would be of some interest to Holden Caulfield.

4. "The Catcher in the Rye" centres around a young man - can women relate to this novel, too? What about Holden is gender-specific, and what is common to all teenagers?

5. Discuss in small groups some of the major themes of "The Catcher in the Rye":

Adolescence: a painful process of growing up.

A teenage rebellion: when and why?

Alienation as a form of self-protection.

Holden Caulfield: a typical teenager with typical problems.

6. Make a list of things or qualities that are very effective or amusing about the novel. Sum up your experience reading "The Catcher in the Rye" by creating a "Top Ten" list on one of the following topics:

Top Ten Allusions and Cultural References Top Ten Quotations Top Ten Worst Lines

Top Ten Uses of Symbolism

Top Ten Most Unconvincing Plot Coincidences

Top Ten Plot-Changing Choices.

7. Design and illustrate a new book cover of "The Catcher in the Rye" for today's reader. Note that the cover should speak to one of the novel's major themes or central ideas. Present your cover to the class.

Part 2. Expressing Your Opinion

1. Read out and compare the following quotations. Which one do you agree with? Why?

A	Holden's obsession with certain symbols, along with his fantasies about disappearing, indicate that he has a death wish	Although Holden is indeed obsessed with death and mortality, it is only because he cherishes life so much
B	Although Holden feels alienated from the entire world throughout the book, the last line of the novel indicates that the very act of speaking his story connects him to his audience — and saves him from isolation	Although Holden would blame other people and their "phoniness " for his loneliness, it is clear that the fault is entirely his own
C	Isolation is the greatest source of Holden's melancholy in "The Catcher in the Rye"	The more Holden connects to other people in "The Catcher in the Rye", the more depressed he becomes

2. "The Catcher in the Rye" is in part a novel about schools and education. Does it make the argument that knowledge is best obtained through experience, rather than formal education? Why (not)?

3. "The Catcher in the Rue" discusses religion. What is it that Holden dislikes about religion? Is it spirituality itself, the institution, or the people running it? Do you agree with his point of view? Why (not)?

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