R: Brachilogic epistemology
Annalisa Baicchi (baicchi@ats.it)
Wed, 15 Apr 1998 12:29:59 +0200
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS AS WELL AS ALL THE OTHER ONES I GOT FROM
YOU, DEAR SALINGERIANS. THEY ARE OPEN MINDED AND VERY HELPFUL TO ME
below are some further notes
Annalisa
----------
> Da: Jon Tveite <jontv@ksu.edu>
> A: bananafish@lists.nyu.edu
> Oggetto: Brachilogic epistemology
> Data: martedì 14 aprile 1998 18.02
>
> Annalisa asked:
>
> > 1. What do you think of Holden's brachilogic syntax?
>
> Um, sorry, but I don't have a linguistics textbook handy. Could you
> define your term, please? Mucho appreciado.
I REFERENCED TO THE LARGE AMOUNT OF UNFINISHED SENTENCES WHICH ARE TYPICAL
OF SPOKEN SPEECH - AND THE CATCHER CAN BE CONSIDERED AS THE WRITTEN
REPORT OF THE PSYCHOANALITIC THERAPY HOLDEN IS HAVING IN HOSPITAL.
UNFINISHED SENTENCES AND INCORRECTNESS IN SYNTAX, ALTHOUGH TYPICAL OF
SPOKEN SPEECH, MAY REFLECT A MENTAL DISORDER, THE INCAPABILITY OF
EXPRESSING HIMSELF PROPERLY OR OF CONTROLLING HIS UTTERANCES PRODUCTION
WHICH MAY BE DUE TO HIS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS.
>
> > 2. Why does he make so large use of the word "old": old Phoebe, old
> > Maurice, old cap and the like?
>
> Well, I think Salinger was trying to capture the authentic sound of a
> disaffected American teen in the 1940s, so I would assume that was a
> typical figure of speech. It seems Holden uses it in different ways at
> different times: sometimes it's positive, as in "comfortingly familiar,"
> and sometimes it's negative, probably meaning something like "tired" or
> "outdated."
YES, I AGREE WITH YOU. 'OLD' IS A DESEMANTIZED WORD TYPICAL OF TEENAGE
VERNACULAR WITH LITTLE OR NO REGARD TO A TERM OF ENDEARMENT.
ROBERT SUGGESTED THAT THE USE OF 'OLD' SHOULD BE REGARDED AS HOMAGE TO
FITZGERALD WHO USES 'OLD' IN THE SAME WAY AND ALSO HIS OPINION IS CORRECT.
OUR BELOVED SALINGER ALWAYS GIVES US PLENTY OF WHICH WE CAN DISCUSS: IF
ONLY HE COULD OR WOULD READ OUR IDEAS AND LET US HAVE HIS OWN OPINION !!!!
>
> It's interesting that for all of Holden's misgivings about modernity, he
> doesn't display particular affection for tradition of any kind. What do
> we make of this? Is it a gloomy existentialist statement on Salinger's
> part?
>
> > 3. What is his epistemic position in general?
I AGREE WITH YOU AS FAR AS IT CONCERNS HOLDEN'SCONCEPTION OF TRUTH. I WAS
WONDERING IF HOLDEN'S ACTUAL UTTERANCES CONCERNING WHAT HE REALLY GIVES
IMPORTANCE TO IN LIFE AND WHAT HE CONSIDERS AS PHONINESS FIND A
CORRISPONDENCE IN LINGUISTIC DEVICES SUCH AS MODAL VERBS AND PHRASAL
ADVERBS THAT MODALIZE HIS UTTERANCES , ALL THESE BEING DEPUTED TO CREATE
HOLDEN'S EPISTEMIC POSITION IN THE TEXT. I'VE JUST STARTING ANALYZING
THIS CORRELATION IN THE CATCHER AND I HOPE I'LL BE MORE PRECISE IN THE
FUTURE, I'LL LET YOU KNOW.
>
> Well, I've never tried to determine anyone's epistemic position before,
> so I'm not sure what kind of an answer you're looking for. If you mean,
> "How much does Holden know?" I take him as a fairly reliable narrator.
> I don't think he has a very broad perspective on things, but isn't that
> the potentially tragic situation of most adolescents, which the book is
> meant to dramatize?
>
> Philosophically, I'd say that although Holden doesn't realize it, he
> places himself squarely in Plato's camp with his overriding concern
> about "phoniness." Plato's thought is grounded in his concept of
> "Truth," which he sees as transcendent, universal, and singular. Every
> time Holden identifies something as "phony," he implies that a choice is
> being made: a choice to deny or obscure an identifiable Truth of some
> kind. At the same time, Holden himself can be very untruthful, so maybe
> we could identify something he values more than Truth. Or maybe we
> could say he comes to understand that phoniness is the price of living
> in the adult world, and that's why he doesn't want to.
>
> Another major epistemological issue for Holden is knowledge v.
> innocence. He comes down on the side of innocence every time -- at
> least for children younger than himself. Though he realizes it's not
> possible, he wishes he could erase every "Fuck You" on every school
> wall. He wishes his little sister could stay little. Apparently
> knowledge is a dangerous thing, to Holden.
>
> It might be interesting to trace the shift in epistemological
> implications of Salinger's fictions through time. I wonder, for
> example, if the Vedantic beliefs behind Teddy's and Buddy's critiques of
> Western pedagogy (i.e. educational theory) are also at play in Holden's
> preference for innocence over knowledge. Or perhaps Holden embodies the
> intellectual crisis which led Salinger to Eastern thought in the first
> place. Has anyone seen a good timeline that shows when the various
> stories were written in relation to his religious evolution?
>
> Jon