Franny and Zooey
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Franny and Zooey are a short story and a novella by J.D. Salinger, published together as a book in 1961; the short story and the novella originally appeared in The New Yorker in 1955 and 1957, respectively. Franny and Zooey (characters in the novella Zooey), a sister and brother both in their twenties, are the two youngest members of the Glass family, which was a frequent focus of Salinger's writings. The novella is famous for its copious use of italics for emphasis.
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Plot introduction
The short story, "Franny", takes place in an unnamed college town during the weekend of "the Yale game" and tells the tale of an undergraduate who is becoming disenchanted with the selfishness and inauthenticity she perceives all around her.
The novella, Zooey, is named for Zooey Glass, the second-youngest member of the Glass family, a somewhat emotionally toughened genius who at the age of twelve had "a vocabulary on an exact par with Mary Baker Eddy's." As his younger sister, Franny, suffers a spiritual and existential breakdown in her parents' Manhattan living room – leaving Bessie, her mother, deeply concerned – Zooey comes to her aid, offering what he thinks is brotherly love, understanding, and words of sage advice.
Plot summary
Short story: "Franny"
This section concerns Franny's weekend date with her collegiate boyfriend, Lane Coutell. The location of "Franny" is unclear; but John Updike, reviewing the book in The New York Times, wrote: "In the first story, she arrives by train from a Smith-like college to spend the week-end of the Yale game at what must be Princeton." Franny is carrying with her a book, which turns out to be The Way of a Pilgrim, a Russian religious text that explores the idea of continuous prayer and spiritual illumination.
The two go out for lunch. He takes Franny to a fashionable lunch room, and tries to impress her with his news of receiving a suggestion to publish his latest paper on Flaubert. Franny appears upset, questioning the importance of college education and the worth of Lane's friends. She eats nothing, and is smoking, sweating, and feeling faint, and must excuse herself to visit the restroom, where, after a crying spell, she regains her composure. She returns to the table, where Lane questions her on the small book she has been carrying. She responds nonchalantly that the book is titled The Way of a Pilgrim and tells the story of how a Russian wanderer learns the power of "praying without ceasing." The Jesus Prayer involves internalizing the prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner," to a point where, in a manner similar to a Zen koan, it becomes unconscious, almost like a heartbeat. Lane is less interested in the story than in keeping their timetable for the party and football game, though when Franny faints, he tends to her and postpones the weekend's activities. After she wakes, he goes to get a taxi, and leaves Franny alone — practicing the act of praying without ceasing.
Novella: "Zooey"
The novella takes place on Monday. It elaborates on the story of the Glass family: the unusual upbringing of the Glass children, with radio appearances as child geniuses and philosophy around the dinner table, has created a unique bond among them, and they understand each other more than anyone else could.
The story begins with Zooey Glass, smoking and soaking in a tub, reading a four-year-old letter from his brother, Buddy. His mother, Bessie, enters the bathroom, and the two have a long discussion, centering upon Bessie's worries about his sister, Franny, who is in a state of emotional collapse. During the conversation, Zooey verbally spars and banters with his mother and repeatedly requests that she leave. Bessie tolerates Zooey's behavior, and simply states he's becoming more and more like his brother Buddy.
After Bessie leaves, Zooey gets dressed and moves into the living room, where he finds Franny on the sofa with her cat Bloomberg, and begins speaking with her. After upsetting Franny by questioning her motives for reciting the "Jesus Prayer," Zooey retreats into the former bedroom of Seymour and Buddy, Franny and Zooey's two older brothers, and reads the back of their door, covered in philosophical quotations. After contemplation, Zooey telephones Franny, pretending to be their brother Buddy. Franny eventually discovers the ruse, but she and Zooey continue to talk. Knowing that Franny reveres their eldest brother, Seymour—the psychologist, spiritual leader, and confidante of the family, who committed suicide years earlier while on vacation with his wife (which is also the focus of "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" a short story also by J.D. Salinger)—Zooey shares with her some words of wisdom that Seymour once gave him. By the end of the call, as the fundamental "secret" of Seymour's advice is revealed, Franny seems, in a moment reminiscent of a mystical satori, to find profound existential illumination in what Zooey has told her.
Major themes
Salinger's known interest in eastern religious philosophy such as Zen Buddhism and Hindu Advaita Vedanta are evident throughout the book, particularly in a brief section in the second part that includes quotations from spiritual texts. There is also a discussion of whether the book is a "mystical story" or a "love story" in the introduction to the second section, as speculated by the book's "narrator," Buddy Glass (who decides it's the latter). Gerald Rosen, in his short 1977 book Zen in the Art of J. D. Salinger, observes that Franny and Zooey could be interpreted as a modern Zen tale, with the main character, Franny (here taking the interpretation that Franny in the short story is the same character as Franny Glass in the novella), progressing over the course of the short story and novella from a state of ignorance to the deep wisdom of enlightenment.
Original publication
Franny and Zooey were originally published separately in The New Yorker magazine. Franny appeared in the magazine in January 1955, and Zooey in May 1957. Salinger published Franny and Zooey together as a book in September 1961, through Little, Brown and Company, and dedicated the book to New Yorker editor William Shawn. According to one account, Salinger did not want to imply Franny was pregnant, and added one line of Lane Coutell's dialogue in a futile attempt to eliminate any ambiguity.
Release details
- 1961, United States, Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-76954-1, Hardback
- 1991, United States & Canada, Little , Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-76949-5, Soft cover, Reprint
