Short Story Collections, Part 3: J.D. Salinger Short Stories

About this course:

Salinger’s Nine Stories, published in April 1953, delves into the complexities of human nature through a series of short stories featuring a range of characters dealing with loss, existential angst, and the search for identity in post-war America. In this course, we read all nine stories, which includes two of his most famous stories “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” a dark and introspective work whose dramatic climax serves as a catapult rather than an ending; and “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor,” one of the most popular and autobiographical of his stories. Also noteworthy is “Teddy,” the logical final installment of Nine Stories and a culmination of the themes in all of Salinger’s previous work—adolescent alienation and loss of innocence. Suggested book: J.D. Salinger, Nine Stories.