A Study of the Religious Dimensions in the Fiction of J. D. Salinger

Abstract

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to examine the full complexity of the religious dimensions in the fiction of J. D. Salinger. Especial attention is given to the author's syncretism and interest in the area where different religious and philosophical frameworks coincide.</p> <p>The Introduction includes a biographical outline and also correlates the views of critics who have discussed various aspects of Salinger's religious concerns. The following three chapters show the development of his method of incorporating religious ideas into his writing, isolate his major concerns, and analyse the ideas around which the works are structured. A discussion of "Teddy" forms part of the conclusion, since this short story in many ways offers a summation of Salinger's thought.</p> <p>While focusing on the religious dimension of Salinger's works, this study does not neglect the multiple ironies and ambiguities present in his fiction, maintaining the perspective that they are products of the creative artistic imagination rather than treatises of systematic theology.</p>