Re: Seymour an Introduction

I think context is important and with Salinger crit, much of it is
published in one place and collected in others. I think most of us
tap it from books and I've really been enjoying the discussion on
French.

I agree that lit crit is often aimed at the professors proliferating
it, but I still see plenty of value in seeing how others read
something I read (and love). Bad crit doesn't make me a less ardent
lover of Salinger's work so much as reify my own understandings of
the literature, and good crit helps me to add something to my
abilities to read Salinger closely and in a vareity of ways. I think
a key for French may be the Salinger piece he included in the
Wisconsin Studies Salinger issue. He "unpacks" Salinger by using UWIC
and perceiving Salinger characters on a spectrum of "phony" to
"nice." I'll have to go back to read French on Catcher but I agree
with Jim's reading...I imagine Holden in a sanitarium. TCITR
(Holden's story telling) for me becomes the evidence also of his
rehabilitation. This might also echo what we know of JDS but that's
just guessing...

In many ways, authors don't write and shouldn't write for
professional critics. Salinger's work has attracted some of the best
known academic and literary critics of his time, but we know he
pretty much tried to shut them out of his world. Maybe one thing this
list proves is that new Salinger readings and insights happen daily
on our screens. I think Kim is being too easy on critics
though...really good criticism goes beyond academe...beyond literary
journals. It's rare that that happens. Nonetheless, some of the folks
who achieve this criticism "for all" at times in their careers more
often than not have looked at Salinger...I think it's worth looking
at Salinger criticism by Kazin, Fiedler, Updike, Howe, and others.
Even when they seem to miss the mark (Like Janet Malcolm in the NYROB
did with her analysis of Updike and others on Salinger), there's
usually good thinking following. It's easy to dis 'high brow' crit,
but not without at least knowing that Salinger readers can increase
their reading consciousness with the help of others. That's what
happens for me on this list...maybe bananafishing is better than
reading dry crit, but not exclusive of it for me, will

-- 
	Will Hochman
Associate 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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