56-413: Igby Goes Down is a 2002 American comedy-drama film that follows the life of Igby Slocumb, a rebellious and sardonic teenager who attempts to break free of his familial ties and wealthy, overbearing mother. The film was written and directed by Burr Steers , and stars Kieran Culkin , Claire Danes , Jeff Goldblum , Susan Sarandon , Amanda Peet , Ryan Phillippe , Bill Pullman and Jared Harris . It
112-423: A Streisand effect , as such incidents cause many to put themselves on the waiting list to borrow the novel, where there was no waiting list before. Several shootings have been associated with Salinger's novel, including Robert John Bardo 's murder of Rebecca Schaeffer and John Hinckley Jr. 's assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan . Additionally, after fatally shooting John Lennon , Mark David Chapman
168-550: A mental breakdown like his schizophrenic father, Jason, who has been committed to an institution. His mother, Mimi, is self-absorbed and distant and tends to drink heavily. Igby mockingly describes his ambitious older brother Ollie as a fascist or a Young Republican who studies " neo-fascism " (economics) at Columbia University . Igby figures that there must be a better life out there, and he sets out to find it, rebelling against his family at every opportunity. After happily flunking out of several prep schools , he ends up in
224-530: A "marvelous book," listing it among the books that inspired him. In June 2009, the BBC 's Finlo Rohrer wrote that, 58 years since publication, the book is still regarded "as the defining work on what it is like to be a teenager." Adam Gopnik considers it one of the "three perfect books" in American literature, along with Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Great Gatsby , and believes that "no book has ever captured
280-462: A brutal military academy where he gets beaten by his classmates. After escaping and spending time in a Chicago hotel courtesy of his mother's credit card, Igby is sent to New York for the summer to stay with his godfather, successful real estate magnate D. H. Banes. While working construction for D. H., Igby first encounters Rachel, his godfather's Edie Sedgwick -influenced, heroin -addicted trophy mistress. Rather than return to school, he escapes into
336-479: A city better than Catcher in the Rye captured New York in the fifties." In an appraisal of The Catcher in the Rye written after the death of J. D. Salinger, Jeff Pruchnic says the novel has retained its appeal for many generations. Pruchnic describes Holden as a "teenage protagonist frozen midcentury but destined to be discovered by those of a similar age in every generation to come." Bill Gates said that The Catcher in
392-518: A comedy drama, this hybrid genre often deals with real life situations, grounded characters, and believable situations. The ratio between the drama and comedy can vary, but most of the time there is an equal measure of both, with neither side dominating. Abreu also adds that dramedies often deal with relatable and serious topics such as divorce, illness, hardship, and heartache. Examples of comedy dramas in American film include: Examples of American television comedy dramas include: The Catcher in
448-505: A fantasy (based on a mishearing of Robert Burns 's Comin' Through the Rye ), in which he imagines himself saving children running through a field of rye by catching them before they fall off a nearby cliff. Phoebe points out that the actual poem says, "when a body meet a body, comin' through the rye." Holden breaks down in tears, and his sister tries to console him. As his parents return home, he slips out and visits his former English teacher, Mr. Antolini, who expresses concern that Holden
504-464: A humorous tenor. In television, modern scripted comedy dramas tend to have more humour integrated into the story than the comic relief common in drama series but usually contain a lower joke rate than sitcoms . In the very influential Greek theatre , plays were considered comedies or tragedies. This concept even influenced Roman theatre and theatre of the Hellenistic period . Theatre of that era
560-509: A rise in film and television works that could be described as comedy-dramas. The term is a translation from the French "comédie dramatique". The portmanteau "dramedy" came to be in the 1980s. In January 2022, Rafael Abreu, writing for the StudioBinder filmmaking blog, defined this genre as follows: A dramedy is a movie or program that balances the elements of a drama and a comedy. Also known as
616-434: A wide variety of topics as he narrates his recent life events. The Catcher in the Rye has been translated widely. About one million copies are sold each year, with total sales of more than 65 million books. The novel was included on Time ' s 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923, and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of
SECTION 10
#1732890965960672-422: Is a diarist. This "catcher in the rye" is an analogy for Holden, who admires in children attributes that he often struggles to find in adults, like innocence, kindness, spontaneity, and generosity. Falling off the cliff could be a progression into the adult world that surrounds him and that he strongly criticizes. Later, Phoebe and Holden exchange roles as the "catcher" and the "fallen"; he gives her his hunting hat,
728-420: Is headed for "a terrible fall". Mr. Antolini advises him to begin applying himself and provides him with a place to sleep. Holden awakens to find Mr. Antolini patting his head, which he interprets as a sexual advance. He leaves and spends the rest of the night in a train-waiting room at Grand Central Terminal , sinking deeper into despair. In the morning, having lost hope of ever finding meaningful connection in
784-474: Is heading out on a date. He is distressed when he learns that Stradlater's date is Jane Gallagher, with whom Holden has been infatuated. When Stradlater returns, hours later, he fails to appreciate the deeply personal composition Holden has written for him about the baseball glove of Holden's late brother, Allie, who died from leukemia years earlier, and refuses to say whether he had sex with Jane. Enraged, Holden punches and insults him, but Stradlater easily wins
840-410: Is informed by D. H. that his mother Mimi is dying from breast cancer and so he returns to see her. She asks Igby to be present for her death. She has arranged to commit suicide with help from Ollie, who feeds her drug-laden strawberry yogurt before ultimately placing a plastic bag over her head. Before she dies, Mimi makes a final revelation, casually inquiring of Igby, "I take it you know that D. H.
896-404: Is just a phase." While Brooks maintained that Holden acts his age, Menand claimed that Holden thinks as an adult, given his ability to accurately perceive people and their motives. Others highlight the dilemma of Holden's state, in between adolescence and adulthood. Holden is quick to become emotional. "I felt sorry as hell for..." is a phrase he often uses. It is often said that Holden changes at
952-451: Is not unaffected by her rebellious son. She describes Igby's conception as an act of animosity and therefore believes that it shouldn't be a surprise that his life follows the same course. His name is explained as a family in-joke. As a child, he would blame his toy bear, Digby, for things he had done only he was mispronouncing it as "Igby". To get him to take responsibility for his actions, his family would call him Igby whenever he lied. Igby
1008-517: Is rejected; and an old classmate Carl Luce, who Holden unrelentingly questions about his sex life. Holden eventually gets drunk, awkwardly flirts with several adults, calls Sally again, and runs out of money. Nostalgic to see his younger sister Phoebe, Holden sneaks into his parents' apartment while they are out and wakes her. Though happy to see him, Phoebe quickly guesses he has been expelled and chastises him for his general aimlessness and disdain. When she asks if he cares about anything, Holden shares
1064-523: Is thought to have long-lasting influence, even in modern narrative works. Even today, works are often classified into two broad buckets, dramas and comedies. For instance, many awards that recognize achievements in film and television today, such as the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards segregate several award categories into these two classifications. The 20th century saw
1120-466: Is your father?" Igby visits his father Jason in the hospital before leaving for Los Angeles to finally make a clean break by getting 3,000 miles away from his family. Igby Goes Down was filmed in locations throughout New York City , including Central Park , Washington Square Park , and SoHo . It is one of the last films to show the Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center . The soundtrack
1176-680: The Issaquah, Washington , high schools in 1978 when three members of the School Board alleged the book was part of an "overall communist plot". This ban did not last long, and the offended board members were immediately recalled and removed in a special election. In 1981, it was both the most censored book and the second most taught book in public schools in the United States. According to the American Library Association , The Catcher in
SECTION 20
#17328909659601232-429: The bohemian underworld of Manhattan, hiding out with Rachel and her performance artist friend Russel at her studio owned by D. H. Eventually, he and Rachel have sex. After being found at the studio by D. H. and getting beaten up by Rachel for jeopardizing her living arrangements, he hooks up with terminally bored, part-time lover, Sookie, only for her to later leave him for Ollie. Despite seeming cold and distant, Mimi
1288-552: The 20th century . In 2003, it was listed at number 15 on the BBC's survey " The Big Read ". Holden Caulfield recalls the events of a long weekend, shortly before the previous year's Christmas. The story begins at Pencey Preparatory Academy, a boarding school in Pennsylvania, where he has been expelled after failing all his classes, except English. Later, Holden agrees to write an English composition for his roommate, Ward Stradlater, who
1344-627: The Rye The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by American author J. D. Salinger that was partially published in serial form in 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst and alienation , and as a critique of superficiality in society. The novel also deals with themes of innocence, identity, belonging, loss, connection, sex, and depression. The main character, Holden Caulfield , has become an icon for teenage rebellion. Caulfield, nearly of age , gives his opinion on
1400-411: The Rye is narrated in a subjective style from the point of view of Holden Caulfield, following his exact thought processes . There is flow in the seemingly disjointed ideas and episodes; for example, as Holden sits in a chair in his dorm, minor events, such as picking up a book or looking at a table, unfold into discussions about experiences. Critical reviews affirm that the novel accurately reflected
1456-496: The Rye is one of his favorite books, as has Aaron Sorkin . Not all reception has been positive. The book has had its share of naysayers, including the longtime Washington Post book critic Jonathan Yardley , who, in 2004, wrote that the experience of rereading the novel after several decades proved to be "a painful experience: The combination of Salinger's execrable prose and Caulfield's jejune narcissism produced effects comparable to mainlining castor oil." Yardley described
1512-457: The Rye released after his death. He wrote: "Firstly, it is possible that one day the rights will be sold. Since there's an ever-looming possibility that I won't die rich, I toy very seriously with the idea of leaving the unsold rights to my wife and daughter as a kind of insurance policy. It pleasures me no end, though, I might quickly add, to know that I won't have to see the results of the transaction." Salinger also wrote that he believed his novel
1568-467: The Rye stands out in its devastating ability to influence without explicit instruction. Early in his career, Salinger expressed a willingness to have his work adapted for the screen. In 1949, a critically panned film version of his short story " Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut " was released; renamed My Foolish Heart , the film took great liberties with Salinger's plot and is widely considered to be among
1624-545: The Rye was the 10th most frequently challenged book from 1990 to 1999. It was one of the ten most challenged books of 2005, and although it had been off the list for three years, it reappeared in the list of most challenged books of 2009. The challenges generally begin with Holden's frequent use of vulgar language; other reasons include sexual references, blasphemy , undermining of family values and moral codes, encouragement of rebellion, and promotion of drinking, smoking, lying, promiscuity , and sexual abuse. The book
1680-468: The Rye , interspersing discussions of the novel with "a series of short films that featured an actor playing J. D. Salinger's adolescent antihero, Holden Caulfield." The show defended its unlicensed adaptation of the novel by claiming to be a "literary review", and no major charges were filed. In 2008, the rights of Salinger's works were placed in the JD Salinger Literary Trust where Salinger
1736-505: The Rye . While at Columbia University , Salinger wrote a short story called "The Young Folks" in Whit Burnett 's class; one character from this story has been described as a "thinly penciled prototype of Sally Hayes". In November 1941 he sold the story " Slight Rebellion off Madison ", which featured Holden Caulfield, to The New Yorker , but it was not published until December 21, 1946, due to World War II . The story " I'm Crazy ", which
Igby Goes Down - Misplaced Pages Continue
1792-455: The book and wanted to do an adaptation. After being told that J. D. Salinger would not agree to sell the film rights, Eisner stated, "Well, let's just do that kind of story, that kind of growing up, coming of age story." In 2009, the year before he died, Salinger successfully sued to stop the U.S. publication of a novel that presents Holden Caulfield as an old man. The novel's author, Fredrik Colting , commented: "call me an ignorant Swede, but
1848-592: The carousel, where they reconcile after he buys her a ticket. The sight of her riding the carousel fills him with happiness. He alludes to encountering his parents that night and "getting sick", mentioning that he will be attending another academy in September. The novel ends with Holden stating that he is reluctant to say more because talk of school has made him miss his former classmates. Various older stories by Salinger contain characters similar to those in The Catcher in
1904-432: The catcher's symbol, and becomes the fallen as Phoebe becomes the catcher. In their biography of Salinger , David Shields and Shane Salerno argue that: " The Catcher in the Rye can best be understood as a disguised war novel ." Salinger witnessed the horrors of World War II, but rather than writing a combat novel, Salinger, according to Shields and Salerno, "took the trauma of war and embedded it within what looked to
1960-565: The city, he decides to head out West to live as a deaf-mute gas station attendant in a log cabin. He arranges to see Phoebe at lunchtime to explain his plan and say goodbye. When they meet up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art , she arrives with a suitcase and asks to go with him. Holden refuses, which upsets Phoebe. He tries to cheer her by allowing her to skip school at the Central Park Zoo , but she remains angry. They eventually reach
2016-458: The early 1950s, Salinger spoke of mounting a play in which he would play the role of Holden Caulfield opposite Margaret O'Brien , and, if he couldn't play the part himself, to "forget about it." Almost 50 years later, the writer Joyce Maynard definitively concluded, "The only person who might ever have played Holden Caulfield would have been J. D. Salinger." Salinger told Maynard in the 1970s that Jerry Lewis "tried for years to get his hands on
2072-411: The end, when he watches Phoebe on the carousel, and he talks about the golden ring and how it's good for kids to try to grab it. Peter Beidler in his A Reader's Companion to J. D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" identified the movie that the prostitute "Sunny" refers to. In chapter 13 she says that in the movie a boy who looked like Holden fell off a boat, and from this detail, Beidler deduced that
2128-449: The fight. Fed up with the "phonies" at Pencey Prep, Holden decides to catch a train to New York, planning to stay away from his home until Wednesday, when his parents will have received notification of his expulsion. Throughout the night, Holden has unpleasant encounters with a prostitute, Sunny, and her pimp, Maurice, who ends up in a physical altercation with Holden; a familiar date, Sally Hayes, who Holden invites to run away with him but
2184-525: The film a positive review and a grade of three and a half stars out of four. Stephen Holden selected the film as a New York Times “Critic’s Pick" and credited it with "ruthless emotional honesty", stating, "Not a false note is sounded." Comedy-drama Comedy drama , also known by the portmanteau dramedy , is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama . In films, serious dramatic themes (such as death, illness, etc.) are dealt with realism and subtlety, while preserving
2240-600: The movie was Captains Courageous (1937), with the boy played by child-actor Freddie Bartholomew . Each Caulfield child has literary talent. D.B. writes screenplays in Hollywood; Holden also reveres D.B. for his writing skill (Holden's own best subject), but he also despises Hollywood industry-based movies, considering them the ultimate in "phony" as the writer has no space for his own imagination and describes D.B.'s move to Hollywood to write for films as "prostituting himself"; Allie wrote poetry on his baseball glove; and Phoebe
2296-399: The naked eye like a coming-of-age novel." The Catcher in the Rye has been consistently listed as one of the best novels of the twentieth century. Shortly after its publication, in an article for The New York Times , Nash K. Burger called it "an unusually brilliant novel," while James Stern wrote an admiring review of the book in a voice imitating Holden's. George H. W. Bush called it
Igby Goes Down - Misplaced Pages Continue
2352-423: The novel as among the worst popular books in the annals of American literature. "Why," Yardley asked, "do English teachers, whose responsibility is to teach good writing, repeatedly and reflexively require students to read a book as badly written as this one?" According to Rohrer, many contemporary readers, as Yardley found, "just cannot understand what the fuss is about.... many of these readers are disappointed that
2408-403: The novel fails to meet the expectations generated by the mystique it is shrouded in. J. D. Salinger has done his part to enhance this mystique. That is to say, he has done nothing." Rohrer assessed the reasons behind both the popularity and criticism of the book, saying that it "captures existential teenage angst" and has a "complex central character" and "accessible conversational style"; while at
2464-470: The novel's rights: Of course I read The Catcher in the Rye ... Wonderful book. I loved it. I pursued it. I wanted to make a picture out of it. And then one day a young man came to the office of Leland Hayward , my agent, in New York, and said, "Please tell Mr. Leland Hayward to lay off. He's very, very insensitive." And he walked out. That was the entire speech. I never saw him. That was J. D. Salinger and that
2520-493: The part of Holden," the protagonist in the novel which Lewis had not read until he was in his thirties. Film industry figures including Marlon Brando , Jack Nicholson , Ralph Bakshi , Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio have tried to make a film adaptation. In an interview with Premiere , John Cusack commented that his one regret about turning 21 was that he had become too old to play Holden Caulfield. Writer-director Billy Wilder recounted his abortive attempts to snare
2576-415: The reasons that Salinger refused to allow any subsequent film adaptations of his work. The enduring success of The Catcher in the Rye , however, has resulted in repeated attempts to secure the novel's screen rights. When The Catcher in the Rye was first released, many offers were made to adapt it for the screen, including one from Samuel Goldwyn , producer of My Foolish Heart . In a letter written in
2632-461: The same time some readers may dislike the "use of 1940s New York vernacular" and the excessive "whining" of the "self-obsessed character". In 1960, a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma , was fired for assigning the novel in class. She was later reinstated. Between 1961 and 1982, The Catcher in the Rye was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States. The book was briefly banned in
2688-405: The teenage colloquial speech of the time. Words and phrases that appear frequently include: Bruce Brooks held that Holden's attitude remains unchanged at story's end, implying no maturation, thus differentiating the novel from young adult fiction . In contrast, Louis Menand thought that teachers assign the novel because of the optimistic ending, to teach adolescent readers that "alienation
2744-451: Was Catcher in the Rye . In 1961, Salinger denied Elia Kazan permission to direct a stage adaptation of Catcher for Broadway . Later, Salinger's agents received bids for the Catcher film rights from Harvey Weinstein and Steven Spielberg , neither of which was even passed on to Salinger for consideration. In 2003, the BBC television program The Big Read featured The Catcher in
2800-626: Was arrested with a copy of the book that he had purchased that same day, inside of which he had written: "To Holden Caulfield, From Holden Caulfield, This is my statement". Commenting on the fascination of Hinckley and Chapman, Harvey Solomon-Brady wrote: Compared to books lauded by other killers – George Orwell 's 1984 by John F. Kennedy 's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald , C.S. Lewis 's meditations on Christianity by Gianni Versace 's murderer Andrew Cunanan and Joseph Conrad 's The Secret Agent by Unabomber Ted Kaczynski – The Catcher in
2856-438: Was given a limited theatrical release through United Artists on September 13, 2002, in the United States, and received generally positive reviews from critics. Culkin and Sarandon received Golden Globe nominations for their performances. Jason "Igby" Slocumb Jr. is a misanthropic 17-year-old boy, rebelling against the oppressive world of his strict East Coast " old money " family. Igby fears that he will eventually suffer
SECTION 50
#17328909659602912-455: Was not suitable for film treatment, and that translating Holden Caulfield's first-person narrative into voice-over and dialogue would be contrived. In 2020, Don Hahn revealed that The Walt Disney Company had almost made an animated film titled Dufus which would have been an adaptation of The Catcher in the Rye "with German shepherds ", most likely akin to Oliver & Company . The idea came from then CEO Michael Eisner who loved
2968-576: Was published in the December 22, 1945 issue of Collier's , contained material that was later used in The Catcher in the Rye . In 1946, The New Yorker accepted a 90-page manuscript about Holden Caulfield for publication, but Salinger later withdrew it. The school Holden attends is Pencey Preparatory Academy, a boarding school in Pennsylvania that Salinger may have based on the Valley Forge Military Academy and College . The Catcher in
3024-441: Was released on February 25, 2003, by Spun Records. Igby Goes Down received positive critical reaction, with a 76% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes ; the consensus states: "In the vein of The Catcher in the Rye , Igby Goes Down is scathingly witty and sharply observant" and a 72/100 on Metacritic . Critics have compared aspects of the story to J. D. Salinger 's novel The Catcher in the Rye . Film critic Roger Ebert gave
3080-409: Was the sole trustee. Phyllis Westberg, who was Salinger's agent at Harold Ober Associates in New York, declined to say who the trustees are now that the author is dead. After Salinger died in 2010, Westberg stated that nothing had changed in terms of licensing film, television, or stage rights of his works. A letter written by Salinger in 1957 revealed that he was open to an adaptation of The Catcher in
3136-420: Was written for an adult audience, which often forms the foundation of many challengers' arguments against it. Often the challengers have been unfamiliar with the plot itself. Shelley Keller-Gage, a high school teacher who faced objections after assigning the novel in her class, noted that "the challengers are being just like Holden... They are trying to be catchers in the rye." Censorship of the book often causes
#959040