SOURCE: A review of Franny and Zooey, in Wisconsin Studies in Contemporary Literature, Vol. 3, No. 1, Winter, 1962, pp. 65-71.

In the following review, Bode analyzes the "medieval" quality of Salinger's novella.

The most remarkable thing about Salinger's pair of stories is how old they are. Their kind is medieval at the very least. "Franny" is a Dialogue between Body and Soul, in terms not much changed since the Middle Ages. The only notable difference is an important one, however. Body and Soul seem here so disassociated that little give and take results. Though the Soul displays a tinge of respect for the expression of its antagonist, to the Body the dialogue as dialogue hardly exists at all. This disassociation Salinger makes profound. It is a matter not only of words but of attitudes and actions. Perhaps the very extent of the cleavage is what makes the story most modern...