J.D. Salinger (Modern Critical Views)

A collection of essays about the works of the American author

Like Prentice-Hall's "Twentieth-Century Views," this new series, "Modern Critical Views," attempts to present the best criticism available on selected contemporary authors. The two volumes under review each contain nine previously published essays, many by prominent critics: the Salinger volume includes work by Alfred Kazin and David Galloway (The Absurd Hero in American Fiction, 1966), while Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Penn Warren, and Linda Wagner are among the contributors to the Dickey volume. Arranged chronologically, the Salinger essays provide a sweeping view of Salinger's critical reception; the Dickey essays would have benefited from such an arrangement. Both collections explore a variety of issues, many so specific that a familiarity with the author's work is necessary. For this reason, they will not readily serve as introductory works but will be more useful to teachers, graduate students, and advanced literature majors. William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.