Group items tagged

This article is a biography of Henry James' life. His social, economic, and geographic elements have all factored into his writing style. Writing many fictional tales, "roughly 112 tales attest his lifetime of dedication to this genre", he continued to strive for the realistic characters depicting the people he had met. "The completely objective point of view, in which the reader is presented solely with what anyone present would see and hear, and the first-person point of view, in which a character tells the story as he or she perceives it, were both traditional" styles that James employed in his writings. Unlike manyother writers he was also a critic of other literary works, art, and plays which only contributed to the sheer dynamics of his characters.

Ron Evans's purpose is to thoroughly explain Holden as a character in Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. The theme of human connection is apparent in his criticism because he states that Holden is in "search for authentic human contact and love" (Evans). The structure of the argument is very organized and coherent with each other. In the beginning of his argument Evans characterized Holden and talks about how he is a "mythic-quest hero". He also describes Holden as a distraught teen on a journey towards self-discovery and realization. Towards the end Evans connects the theme and an element of plot to Salinger's other pieces of work such as Nine Stories and Franny and Zooey. The evidence provided by the author helps his case due to his specific examples and details. Evans uses a few characters from the novel to further enhance his portrayal of Holden. He concludes that Salinger "captured the attention of a generation of readers seeking reassurance during the rough transition from childhood to adulthood" (Evans). His conclusion adds to his bias since he believes The Catcher in the Rye will be read by most young adult readers. Also, the fact that Evans thinks that Salinger influenced an entire generation contributes to his bias and assumptions.