Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1974

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Coyle, William

Abstract

The general criticism of J. D. Salinger's Glass saga has been unfavorable, the bulk of which centers around the stories' dependency on Seymour Glass, the eldest Glass child and family guru. This criticism has,found Seymour an inconsistent and totally unreal character. But Seymour only appears to be inconsistent. Through a complex inverted method of releasing information, Salinger resolves the inconsistencies in Seymour's character. With the unveiling of layer after layer of new information, the character of Seymour becomes further cloaked in mystery until finally Seymour becomes unknowable, and it becomes clear to the reader that Seymour was never intended to be a live character; he merely serves the dramatic function of moving the Glass saga along while moving the Glass children to self-realization.

Extent

107 p.

Comments

Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1974.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

Identifier

FADT13647

Format

pdf

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