I'm not sure if I loved Hapworth because I had to make the trek across town to the only library on the South Side that had it and then had to feed dime after dime into the machine to make copies of it, Or if it was because I felt like one of the privileged few who had actually read it and therefore felt like I was one of the few people who really *knew* Seymour, Or if it was because the style so closely mirrored Seymour: An Introduction and that is one of my favorite stories by Salinger. (I think maybe it was a combination of all three.) But, I'll tell you, it is one of the reasons that I love reading all the posts in this group. That so many people can love and hate the same stories, that you can dislike Hapworth and I can disagree with you from the other side of the country. (Or world, as the case may be...) But I liked it, just the same. Some of the other Salinger stories may be more beautifully constructed, but I keep getting the feeling that Seymour: An Introduction and Hapworth are the soul of all His works. They are the stories that kill me. Salinger, better than any author that I know, uses S: AI better than any other story to express true grief. You remember stupid things like table tennis and ears that stick out and games played in the street and a million other little things. (Although it kills me every time that I read Buddy's letter in Zooey where he confesses that he keeps the telephone connected just so that he can see Seymour Glass in the phone book every year.) Regards, Cecilia. ---------- Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 06:34:26 -0700 From: depressed@collegemail.com Subject: disapointed I've recently had the chance to read some of the underpublished stories, thanks to a man who I'll call "Steve". This, of course, is a very clever and original disguise, not even the cleverest readers will be able to identify him. ;) I must say, I was disapointed with Hapworth. It's too much I think. Hapworth and Seymour: an introduction, are probably my two least favorite stories. They seem to me to be just endless babble. Maybe I'm just not "getting" them? However I thought some of the other stories were great. I liked all the stories about Babe. What is it about Salinger and ten year old sisters? Did he have a sister? Matilda and Phoebe seem to be kind of similar. I also liked 'the hang of it' and one of the stories was very funny, I think it's called 'A girl I knew'. Well, I'm just babbling on and on because I'm in school right now and have nothing else to do. I'll just shut up now. -Grant