The Simpsons takes a stab at J.D Salinger
(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series)
It’s no secret that Catcher in the Rye is J.D Salinger’s most famous work. So, I suppose The Simpsons doesn’t so much insult Salinger as it does simply remind people that Salinger was important at one time, for one book.
In this, Season 22 Episode 16 episode called “A Midsummer’s Nice Dream” (the title itself a literary reference) Marge discovers “A box set of all of J.D Salinger’s novels except Catcher in the Rye” among a pile of garbage that once belonged to the town hoarder, implying that only a crazy hoarder would actually keep copies of these “other” books.
If we need to let Salinger relinquish his spot in young adult narrative & coming of age story, ok. But what takes the place of some of these titles and do any Americans care? Having grown up in the era of dystopian novels such as Animal Farm, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, and A Clockwork Orange, I don’t see Hunger Games as replacing the political critique. So… What (or whom if you prefer an author?) replaces Salinger? And don’t say Rowling and Harry Potter.
EL James?