SOURCE: "Franny," in Salinger's Glass Stories as a Composite Novel, The Whitston Publishing Company, 1983, pp. 21-32.

In the following essay, Alsen notes the similarities between Salinger's "Franny" and "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," and asserts that "Franny" signals a new direction for Salinger in terms of thematic and narrative techniques.

"Franny" was published in January of 1955, nine months before "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters." But it was probably written several years earlier, at a time when the plan of the Glass series had not yet taken shape, for it does not mention Seymour, nor does it mention that Franny's last name is Glass. Also, the story contains two pieces of information that are later contradicted in the story "Zooey" (1957). Franny tells Lane Coutell that she is taking a "Religion Survey" course and that she got the book, The Way of a Pilgrim, out of her college library...