TRANSFORMATION OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER IMAGE: DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING WHEN STUDYING THE NOVELS OF J.D. SALINGER'S "THE CATCHER IN THE RYE " AND DBC PIERRE'S "VERNON GOD LITTLE"

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to study the transformation of an English teenager in modern literature. The objects are the novels “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger and “Vernon God Little” by DBC Pierre. The study uses comparative, historical - descriptive methods and the method of cultural analysis. An attempt is made at a systematic comparative analysis of the works. The features of the narrative style of the novels, the presence of a diegetic narrator are emphasized, and it is concluded that the saturation of slang and emotionally colored vocabulary with a mostly negative connotation in the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” and non - normative vocabulary in the novel “Vernon God Little ” has an ideological load and reflects the heroes of the works’ rejection of the surrounding world, their opposition to it. The role of psychological trauma in the images of the heroes of the works and its influence on their actions and attitude to society are considered. The emphasis is on the differences in socio - financial status (wealthy Golden versus poor Vernon from a single - parent family living in a provincial town), which indicates an expansion of the focus of a teenager depiction: from the rebellion of a wealthy boy, who is ironically criticized by many scholars, to the acute social confrontation of a disadvantaged hero. The socio - historical context of the writing of both novels is analyzed and the differences are clarified. “The Catcher in the Rye” reflects the post - war America of the 1950s, characterized by economic prosperity, social conformism, and a false public facade, against which Golden Caulfield rebels. In contrast, “Vernon God Little” is a sharp social satire on America of the early 21st century, dominated by consumerism, media manipulation, corruption, and general absurdity. The nature of the rebellion against the system of each of the heroes is carefully traced. The change in the literary paradigm is analyzed. Unlike “The Catcher in the Rye”, which is at the intersection of modernism and postmodernism, the novel “Vernon God Little”, due to the concentration of events, tends towards absurdism in order to exacerbate social and moral issues and at the same time is a vivid example of the new sincerity literature — a key component of metamodernism. The features of the new sincerity literature present in the novel “Vernon God Little” are clarified. The conclusions are drawn that if Golden Caulfield rebels against the inner emptiness and hypocrisy of the 1950s society, then Vernon God Little leads an open and desperate struggle with the cruel, corrupt and manipulative media reality of the 21st century, while at the same time demonstrating a deep inner morality and sincerity characteristic of the new literary trend.