Ellis’ “Less Than Zero” – “the Catcher in the Rye” for the Mtv Generation?

Lukas Fath Mat.Nr. 2580188 LA Gym(WPO) Englisch (2.FS)

Ellis’ “Less than Zero” – “The Catcher in the Rye” for the MTV Generation?

Bret Easton Ellis, “Less than Zero” Jerome David Salinger, “The Catcher in the Rye”

1st September 2010

Universität Stuttgart SS10 Essay Writing/ Research Skills Ronja Tripp

Ellis’ “Less than Zero” – “The Catcher in the Rye” for the MTV Generation?

Lukas Fath

Table of Contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3 Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” ..................................................................................... 3 Ellis’ “Less than Zero”.......................................................................................................... 5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 8 Works Cited .......................................................................................................................... 9

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Ellis’ “Less than Zero” – “The Catcher in the Rye” for the MTV Generation?

Lukas Fath

1. Introduction
“The Catcher in the Rye for the MTV generation” 1 USA Today (ELLIS, 202)

On the backside cover of the Picador edition of Ellis’ “Less than Zero”, there is this quote from USA Today: Less than Zero is “The Catcher in the Rye” for the MTV generation; the Eighties’ version of Salinger’s all time classic. But is it? Is it just an “update” to “The Catcher in the Rye” or a totally different story with but a few similarities? This research paper analyzes Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” and Ellis’ “Less than Zero” and demonstrates how similar or different these two novels are.

2. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”
“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know where I was born. And what my lousy childhood was like,...