This excerpt belongs to the novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951) written by J. D. Salinger.

It is easy to notice the colloquial, unconventional style of the first person narrator.
From the point of view of the information contained we can identify three parts of the
paragraph: dates about the narrator, about his parents and about his brother. The information
about the narrator is mainly provided indirectly, through the writing style and his opinions about
various subjects and other persons. The first part of the fragment is negative. The narrator
specifies the issues that he does not want to discuss (lousy childhood, for example). There is
also a sarcastical intertextual reference to the novel David Copperfield, the writing being
presented as a negative example. The opinions of the narrator about movies and books and also
the usage of connectors in his discourse (in the first place) are clear marks of his education.
Other slang words (crap, goddam) indicate the young age and the rebellious personality of
the narrator. Direct information about the protagonist is also provided: got pretty run down and
had to, we are informed of the brothers weekly visits and that he is currently in a crumby
place.
There are only few pieces of information about the parents, motivated by their
disapproval for the narrator to reveal anything personal about them (they are touchy as hell).
Quantitatively, only a few lines are dedicated to the parents of the author.
In contrast, the amount of lines and information mentioned about the brother, D. B., is
larger. The reader is informed about the brothers location, car, his previous activity (writer), his
current activity (script-writer at Hollywood). A major difference in the attitude of the narrator can
be spotted with regard to his brothers occupation: in the past he was proud of the terrific book
D. B. wrote opposed to his new job. A very close relationship between the two brothers could
explain why the narrator focuses on D. B. in the opening paragraph of the novel.
In conclusion, the reader is intrigued by the new approach to presenting facts in a book
the usage of slang and colloquial language are signs that the writing reflects a very direct,
impulsive way of revealing the narrators thoughts without self-censorship.