Catcher In the Rye v On The Road

Dades

I know there's been a CITR thread but I wanted to post in the context of another current thread...

What I really wanted to do was post to see if someone could give me a good reason to finish Catcher in the Rye. But to be fair I'm 2/3rds through and will finish it.

My point is why the hell does so many rave about it?

Jack Kerouac's On The Road doesn't seems to get the same popular vote on the boards, and I've read that half a dozen times. It's followed me on every road trip since I was 16 - it's the ultimate travellers book.

Catcher just seems to me to be a inane series of rants from an unlikeable character, over the course of a few days.

What am I missing? Do you have to be a teen when reading this for the first time?

humbleCounty

i liked Catcher in the Rye when i read it in school a few years ago, but i tried reading it again recently and it did nothing for me. at all.

on the road on the other hand i really liked, been trying to find it at home for ages to read again.

Eve e

The Atheist wrote:

I know there's been a CITR thread but I wanted to post in the context of another current thread...

What I really wanted to do was post to see if someone could give me a good reason to finish Catcher in the Rye. But to be fair I'm 2/3rds through and will finish it.

My point is why the hell does so many rave about it?


Catcher just seems to me to be a inane series of rants from an unlikeable character, over the course of a few days.

Agree with you about Catcher In The Rye,read it when i was a teenager,after hearing people say it was a life changing book.It wasn't.

People are phony?
No **** you realise this when youre 12 and get over it when your 13.

Havent read Kerouac yet though.

BossArky

Reading Catcher in the Rye reminded me of the way a friend of mine talked / thought. Perfer it to On the Road.

doonothing

im in the reverse position atheist!
loved catcher in the rye, read it loadsa times, but im stuck about halfway through on the road....

sterculelum

Well I haven't read On The Road but it's on my to-do.

Catcher is brilliant. So accessible. Someone of any age could read it and get different things out of it. It's funny, extremely readable, and proves that adults are phoney ****s. It's written as if he was talking to ya.

Dades

Interesting indeed.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not hating Catcher, just sorely disappointed. The only reason I compare it to On The Road is due to their apparent inspirations of a generation. I get OTR, just not Catcher.

doonothing wrote:

im in the reverse position atheist!
loved catcher in the rye, read it loadsa times, but im stuck about halfway through on the road....

You're probably in Denver then.

Don't give up!

cjs19

What would anyone like to read more? Kerouacs soul filled dash across America, trailing a man who met his end by counting railway sleepers as he tried to escape the clutches of speed and alcohol. An awe inspiring, mind bending homage to the mysteries of travel. This book kicked America's good pretense in the face, while make it a more endearing, hidden place. It is the cause of my smoking habit, my drinking habit and the habit of the road. Alternatively we could listen to a pubescant rant and why growing up is "hard". Holden, go smoke a fat one or something. Or at least get laid. On the other hand, Catcher is exceptionally well written, structured and concluded. A fine example of the second American Literary Renaissance. Pity about the story.

humbleCounty

. Alternatively we could listen to a pubescant rant and why growing up is "hard". Holden, go smoke a fat one or something. Or at least get laid.

true that, dude needs a night out with Cassady n Kerouac. Only thing is he might never come back...

the dice man

The Atheist wrote:

It's followed me on every road trip since I was 16 - it's the ultimate travellers book.

don't know how you can say that. why read about travelling when you're travelling? doesn't make sense to me as you'll just end up comparing your trip to that of the book which will make your trip seem boring in comparision

on the road is my favourite book about travelling but i'd never read it while travelling, its inspired me to hitch across canada and eastern europe

LoLth

catcher...in...rye.....must .. stop...blood ..vessels....from...bursting.......AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Holden must die! and die horribly too! maybe by getting nipple tweaked by old age people until he dies of blood loss through the aggravated pores..... no.

sorry. I know some people love that book and thats all well and good but if it is indeed possible to hate and abhor an inanimate object then catcher in the rye is the one I choose.....

LadyJ

Thing I loved about Catcher was the way every single character reminded me of someone I know.
I've said this before in the last thread of course,but Catcher in the Rye changed the way I see the world. I mean,when I read it I was only 13 but,as I grew up,the book spoke to me in a different way.

I think when I was 13 the book was like my saviour. I needed it.
Now when I read it,I find new meaning behind every page but it's still just as powerful and as beautiful as ever. Maybe if you've only ever read it as an adult it wouldn't mean as much to you or affect you as much because you're not as emotionally delicate as a teenager who reads it.

OfflerCrocGod

The Atheist wrote:

What I really wanted to do was post to see if someone could give me a good reason to finish Catcher in the Rye. But to be fair I'm 2/3rds through and will finish it.

If you want to waste your time go ahead and finish it.

The Atheist wrote:

My point is why the hell does so many rave about it?

Really good PR firm? AOLTimeWarner bought the movie rights? I really can't figure it out myself.

The Atheist wrote:

Catcher just seems to me to be a inane series of rants from an unlikeable character, over the course of a few days.

What am I missing? Do you have to be a teen when reading this for the first time?

No you are missint nothing because that's exactly what the book is all about: NOTHING. It's dull and pointless. And overrated.

kawaii

Meh... I guess Catcher is really a love/hate book...

I just loved the way it was written...

Mr. Presentable

What has been forgotten is the Catcher in the rye was written in a different, less informed, less cynical time. It's relevance has diminished.

Citizen Kane, regularly voted best movie of all time, but how many people do you know who even like it?

Likewise CITR.........

LoLth

well, now you know one person who likes citizen Kane (I'm referring to me by the way.... )

still dont like CITR though.

Dades

Based on what LadyJ said, I guess you really do need some teen angst for this book to grab you.
And it still may not at that *nods to OfflerCrocGod*.

spannerhead wrote:

What has been forgotten is the Catcher in the rye was written in a different, less informed, less cynical time. It's relevance has diminished.

Citizen Kane, regularly voted best movie of all time, but how many people do you know who even like it?

I'd be inclined to agree, but I watched Casablanca the other night on TCM and was blown away with how sharp that story & script still is. And normally I'm first to point the finger at people who overrate old movies. Haven't seen CK in a good while.

A lot of books which were relevant on release can still be enjoyed simply because the story or the humour are so good as to transcend generations.

meditraitor

spannerhead wrote:

Citizen Kane, regularly voted best movie of all time, but how many people do you know who even like it?

Likewise CITR.........

Great film, derserved t be called classic.

As for On the road and catcher in the rye, I think there appeal was in the timing of there publication, maybe back when, they were seminal, IMO both bloody boring books.. better than sleeping pills

shuushh

probably my favourite two books

if your not enjoying catcher in the rye and your 2/3rds into it then just leave it be you wont enjoy the rest of the book

go get some more Kerouc - Dharma Bums is a good one also check out Rum Diaries by Hunter S Thompson if you like On The Road

Dades

shuushh wrote:

probably my favourite two books

if your not enjoying catcher in the rye and your 2/3rds into it then just leave it be you wont enjoy the rest of the book

Too late - finished it yesterday! (Had relegated it to DART reading).

You're right about the end - if that's what you could call it. Not the worst book I've ever read, but it suffers hugely from hype. Strictly for teens unless re-reading IMO.

go get some more Kerouc - Dharma Bums is a good one also check out Rum Diaries by Hunter S Thompson if you like On The Road

Yeah read Dharma Bums and a couple of other JK years back. Actually orderd The Rum Diaries last week after reading the Hunter S Thompson threads.

0utshined

spannerhead wrote:

Citizen Kane, regularly voted best movie of all time, but how many people do you know who even like it?

I love it! I think it's a brilliant film. Catcher in the Rye on the other hand I wasn't impressed with. It seems to be a book you should read in your early teens for full effect. A friend of mine started reading it while visiting me last year though and couldn't put it down so it does appeal to some people.

--Kaiser--

I didn't expect to like Catcher when i read it in school (being required reading and all) but I loved it, the character of Holden, though flawed and neurotic, is somehow appealing. I like his pessimistic take on the world, it seems really suited to disgruntled teenagers, maybe if you don't read it as an adolescent then its lost to you, I don't know.

On The Road, however, I didn't like one bit, I didn't like the narrator, or any its deranged personalities or pointless events. I especially didn't like its lack of any type of structure or its frankly awful writing. I just don't get it, or how it would change anyone's life.



Loved Citizen Kane btw.

johnny_ultimate

Theyre both great books, but Kerouac is one of the best ive ever read. It just captures a mindset so perfectly, it made me want to go out and catch a crazy jazz gig. CITR didnt have the same effect really.

Oh yeah and Citizen Kane is great.

Pigman II

Well I got to page 30 of Catcher before closing it and forcibly throwing it at a wall so I'd have to plump for it.

I read somewhere that OTR wasn't even planned out and for the original draft Kerouac selotaped hundreds of a4 pages together into a one long 'toilet roll' type ream of paper and just kept 'typing typing typing' anything that came into his head.

Whether intentional or not the finished product still felt like that sort of effort to me.

Outcast

Could one possibly say that this thread proves that CITR reflects the reality of teen life. Holdens problem is that adults don't understand whats going on and cast it aside as 'teenage angst'. Here all of you are saying the book is only suitable for angsty teenagers. Maybe it's because you are the people he talks about. Just a thought

Dades

Outcast wrote:

Could one possibly say that this thread proves that CITR reflects the reality of teen life.

Maybe, but that doesn't make it a great book.
Sure it taps into teen angst, but it's completely lacking in story or even a point.

Outcast wrote:

Maybe it's because you are the people he talks about. Just a thought

Everyone is one of the people Holden talks about (unless you're ol' Phoebe).

I remember when the original On The Road manuscript was auctioned thinking it would look good over the fireplace.

humbleCounty

i dont think holden's bitching about adults in particular, just a certain type of people. In a way its the same thing that Kerouac is escaping from, except that, for me, Kerouac has more appeal and a more relevant connection.

To put it simply, i read Catcher in the Rye and thought it was a pretty good book. I started to re-read it recently and gave up. On The Road changed my life though, got me thinking differently, and was the door that lead lead me on to a whole load of new things/experiences.

johnny_ultimate

Outcast wrote:

Could one possibly say that this thread proves that CITR reflects the reality of teen life. Holdens problem is that adults don't understand whats going on and cast it aside as 'teenage angst'. Here all of you are saying the book is only suitable for angsty teenagers. Maybe it's because you are the people he talks about. Just a thought

Im a teenager, and when I read Catcher i did kinda relate to it, not that much though. On the Road just appealed to me so much more....

Outcast

I didn't mean that I can totally relate to Holden and that CITR changed my life. I did think it was a brilliant read though. Haven't gotten to On the Road yet but I love the Beats so I'd say I'll like it