Janie B. Cheaney
Janie B. Cheaney is the author of the Wordsmith creative writing series. In addition to magazine articles, she writes novels for young adults, including "The Playmaker," "The True Prince," "My Friend the Enemy," and "In the Middle of Somewhere." Click here to visit her blog, The Uncommon Place.

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Abetting the clueless

Adults who romanticize youth do the young no favors | by Janie B. Cheaney

When Jerome David Salinger died late in January, the culture-watch website Arts & Letters Daily honored him with links to more than 60 memorials. Only world statesmen like Ronald Reagan out-obituaried him. Not bad, for a literary recluse whose fame rests largely on one novel.

For those few who haven't read it, The Catcher in the Rye covers one weekend in the life of Holden Caufield, the quintessential troubled teen, grieving over the death of his younger brother. Published in 1951 to mixed reviews, it has gone through countless editions and sold millions of copies. Salinger's true attitude toward his creation remains a mystery, but he never authorized a movie version and emerged into public view only to sue the publisher of a proposed sequel. Whatever his reasons, he secured a permanent mystique around a hero who will never grow up.

The genius of Holden was in giving youth a voice. It's not an attractive voice: cranky, petulant, wistful, sharp, and idealistic. But previously, the years between 13 and 19 were seen as a humorous concept (as in Booth Tarkington novels or Andy Hardy movies), or an idyllic interlude (à la Huckleberry Finn). Actual adolescence was an inarticulate roller-coaster ride before Holden articulated it, not just for one generation but for several.

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