J.D. Salinger’s Narrative Style Across Selected Short Stories and its Impact on the Meaning of “Teddy”

Many of J.D. Salinger’s lesser known texts are often overlooked by his more well-known pieces of literature, particularly by his famous novel The Catcher in the Rye. Through looking at a selection of texts found in his short story collection, entitled Nine Stories, this presentation will explore the constants across his style and voice that are found specifically in his shorter fiction. In this context, style consists of key author choices that include theme, plot, character, and dialogue. These elements often overlap throughout his work, and inform readers of the general tension between characters’ struggles and their willingness or refusal to move on. By examining critics’ reviews and discussions of Salinger’s work, and through taking note of the intertextuality of his short stories, this presentation will analyze how the literary devices and narrative choices Salinger uses in multiple texts contribute to how the reader may describe his style as a whole. This presentation argues that an understanding of Salinger’s style, through the contrast between his other pieces of short fiction, can further deepen the reading of the final piece in Nine Stories, “Teddy,” and adds more nuance to the reader’s understanding of his work as a whole.