42 pages 1 hour read

J. D. Salinger

Franny and Zooey

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 1961

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Essay Topics

1.

J. D. Salinger uses dialogue as his main literary technique in this novel. What are the effects of this technique? What insights about character development or narrative does Salinger highlight with dialogue? Provide specific examples.

2.

What is the role of Buddy in the novel? What is the purpose of Buddy’s introduction before Zooey begins? What is Buddy’s relationship with Franny, and how does that differ from his relationship with Zooey?

3.

Franny uses the term “phony” to describe the inauthentic professors and students at her college. What is the significance of this term for Franny? How does her horror of phoniness inform the crisis of faith she undergoes in the novel?