Re: "Salinger's Glass stories as a composite novel"


Subject: Re: "Salinger's Glass stories as a composite novel"
From: Matthew Jones (columnatedruinsdomino@hotmail.com)
Date: Sun Aug 05 2001 - 02:27:41 GMT


Will, Thanks for your message.

The photograph of Salinger in the Alsen book strikes me as quite
anachronistic. In 1979, Salinger hadn't published for 14 years. Why not
include one of the photos from his publishing period, if a photo is
necessary at all? It isn't, because as you say, it "so much obscures what he
is about it is almost funny". Surely the publishers knew that Salinger
firmly disliked having his photograph published, and out of respect they
should have refrained from doing so. However, in many ways, I feel that if
JDS wasn't so famously fanatical about his privacy, the mainstream wouldn't
pay so much attention to him. He is the unfortunate one who has had the
token role of "mystery man of literature" forced on him. By remaining a
hermit in New Hampshire, tantalisingly close to NYC, he is unrealistic to
think that people won't bother him. If he wants complete isolation, why not
go live on a farm in New Zealand or somewhere? Nobody would ever bother him
there.

I can tell that Salinger's works have had a profound influence on your life,
Will. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me. By the way, I wish the
goddamn roof beam would raise in my attic, because I could use the extra
storage space!

I think I will start re-reading the Alsen study now!

Good luck with 'Letters to Salinger',
Matt

>From: Will Hochman <hochman@southernct.edu>
>Reply-To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>Subject: Re: "Salinger's Glass stories as a composite novel"
>Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2001 09:45:57 +0800
>
>Matt, I think your "attic" is full of ideas! I liked Eberhard
>Alsen's study very much. I think it advanced Gerald Rosen's ideas
>into a more comprehensive focus on the religious ideas in Salinger's
>fiction. Eberhard Alsen has been most generous in giving us a letter
>for Letters to Salinger and I think he makes it clear he was strongly
>affected by Salinger's spiritual path and has found his own with
>Salinger "sign markers." I think Alsen's reading of the longer short
>stories is mighty fine! Another book that followed Alsen's lead is A
>Religious Response to the Essential Dilema in the Fiction of J.D.
>Salinger by Elizabeth Kurian. I don't know this scholar personally,
>but her ideas are quite fine.
>
>Regarding that picture of an aging Salinger in Alsen's book, yes,
>it's unnecessary. But as I read Salinger widely for quotes for
>Letters to Salinger chapters, I realized that was the same thing as
>taking a snapshot of him. I want to be a little kid here and shout to
>Salinger, "YOU STARTED IT!" I'll be polite now, but I can't help it.
>Salinger's writing doesn't stop staying strong for me. Every time I
>read his work I get so wrapped up in it I can't leave it without
>something richer than my eyes deserve. Here's what this morning
>reading's made me best realize. Salinger's spiritual and creative
>nexus basically comes to the understanding that what isn't said or
>written is what is most important. In that regard, his picture so
>much obscures what he is about it is almost funny. At the end of
>RHTRBC, Salinger leaves the reader with a blank piece of paper, "by
>way of explanation." In "Hapworth 16, l924" Salinger wrote that "It
>is my absolute opinion that the only poem of personal, haunting
>interest to me that I have written so far this summer is the one I
>have not written at all." It seems to me that Alsen's book is a
>mighty fine attempt to gather what is mostly best expressed in the
>white space on the page where the intelligent ink stains take a
>breath and listen more closely to the rhythms of their own silence.
>
>I'll be quiet now, except to say, I know this post isn't really a
>good answer for you, but I wanted to play in your attic...did the
>roof beam raise at all? Are we playing at summer camp yet? will
>--
>Will Hochman
>Assistant Professor of English
>Southern Connecticut State University
>501 Crescent St, New Haven, CT 06515
>203 392 5024
>
>http://www.southernct.edu/~hochman/willz.html

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