BY THE NUMBERS
CONFESSIONS OF A CATCHER IN THE RYE?
The press release for Confessions of an Ivy League Frat Boy by Andrew Lohse ’12 boldly proclaims the memoir is “a manifesto for reform in a system long broken, as told by a contemporary holden caulfield....” here’s a quick comparison of Confessions and The Catcher in the Rye, J.d. Salinger’s classic novel that features Caulfield as its protagonist.
>>> First Sentence:
CONFESSIONS: “Vomit is dripping through my hair.”
CATCHER: “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”
>>> The Wall Street Journal says:
CONFESSIONS: “These may be the worst, and least trustworthy, confessions in the 16 centuries since St. Augustine’s.” —Joe Rago ’05, August 22, 2014
CATCHER: “Taken as portraying a thirst for authenticity by some, the work is seen by many young people these days as merely whiney.” —Stephen Miller, January 28, 2010
Year of Publication Copies in Print Pages in Length References to Vomiting References to Studying Number of F-bombs Number of “goddams” References to Cocaine References to Alcohol References to Dartmouth Alums Acknowledged Faculty Acknowledged 2014 40,000 320 47 9 102 1 22 38 96 7 3 1951 65 million 214 5 2 3 254 0 3 0 0 0
