Re: Back to School

Actually in S:AI, Buddy does admit that Freud reached the level of poetry.
And that is some compliment coming from him. Surely anyone who recognizes
the unconscious, nevermind mentioning sex to the point where it still makes
people shiver today, deserves credit. Nonetheless, my opinion is his best
readings come from his case studies, like Dora and the Wolf Man, and his
worst stuff comes later when he's too cynical like in Totem and Taboo. Jung
was smart to break from himm when he did...

Also, to say that S refuses to be nailed down is the understatement of the
century! Just take into account my theory: that Salinger has a respect for
most High school English teachers, because they are people who are not in a
"publish or perish" environment like college english professors. Morevover,
they don't "knock" famous writers instead they inspire students to read more
of them through legitimate exploration. College instructers, he might
beleive, care too much about their own reputation in academia, and are all
trying to be "hotshots" by riding on the coatails of the greats. Take an
English teacher like the one in THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, he implored D.B. not
to go to Hollywood and "sell-out". It is as though Salinger respects the
modest high school teacher's integrity, one that hasn't been corrupted by an
ivory tower...

Aaron

>From: Jim Rovira <jrovira@drew.edu>
>Reply-To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>Subject: Re: Back to School
>Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 22:07:17 -0400
>
>heh...I'd forgotten about that episode :). So he expressed ambivalence
>about
>psychoanalysis too :).
>
>Maybe he just doesn't like being nailed down.
>
>On some levels I think the same way he does about psychoanalysis. I think
>Freud
>wrote fairy tales and called them science and that annoys me to no end (I'm
>reading _Beyond the Pleasure Principle_ right now), but at the same time,
>they
>were very compelling and influential fairy tales that have defined the way
>we
>think about a great many things...and sometimes I find his observations or
>categories useful.
>
>Jim
>
>Aaron Sommers wrote:
>
> > Jim,
> > Your right, it seems Salinger likely hated psychoanalysis as much, if
>not
> > more, than literary critics. Yet there's even more ambivalence when you
>read
> > in The Catcher in the Rye the part where Holden calls on Carl Luce the
> > "smartest boy " he knew, and listens to him give a quick lesson on
>analysis.
> > Something about "patterns of our minds" and Holden considers therapy, if
>I
> > am not mistaken. Imagine one of Salinger's most precious characters
> > voluntarily on the couch asking what his/her dreams meant! Not likely...
> >
> > aaron
> > >From: Jim Rovira <jrovira@drew.edu>
> > >Reply-To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
> > >To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
> > >Subject: Re: Back to School
> > >Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 18:47:12 -0400
> > >
> > >Yeah, there's some real ambivalence there...good observations. It's
>hard
> > >to say
> > >where it comes from. An outsider's resentment? Annoyed by criticism
>but
> > >too
> > >big a reader himself? Seems like there was one line in Raise High or
>S:AI
> > >about
> > >the real problem with lit studies being its dependence upon
>psychoanalysis,
> > >psychanalysis being the only thing Salinger hated as much at literary
> > >critics...
> > >
> > >Jim
> > >
> > >Aaron Sommers wrote:
> > >
> > > > One of the most interesting aspects of Salinger's works is when the
> > >subject
> > > > of education is broached. There is the obvious contempt for the
> > >"parasitic"
> > > > Lane Coutell's, who want praise for being a lit. critic and are
> > >candidates
> > > > for future section men in various English Departments. Then there is
> > > > Nicholson and the specialized educators (Lidekker group), who like
>to
> > >study
> > > > people like Teddy and Zooey, trying to map a blueprint of how the
>gears
> > >in
> > > > them turn. But just when I believe that Salinger is moving in a
> > >direction
> > > > that suggests children should teach themselves, that English
>professors
> > >are
> > > > leeches, and that English depratments are useless because you "can't
> > >keep a
> > > > born scholar ignorant" anyway, I realize the author's "alter-ego"
> > >teaches
> > > > "Advanced Writing 24-A". And how many members of his all girl
> > >composition
> > > > class will turn into Mrs. Fedder's, do you think? Moreover, Seymour
>was
> > >the
> > > > first to choose his profession as an English Professor, at any Ivy
> > >League
> > > > school, no less. But he had certainly been a mentor within the
>family
> > >long
> > > > before that official appointment at age 18. Also, Mr. Antolini was
>the
> > >only
> > > > person Holden respected from school. So does anyone else notice
>while
> > > > Salinger derives pleasure in bad-mouthing aspects of education, he
>still
> > >has
> > > > respect for the teaching profession?
> > > >
> > > > -Aaron
> > > >
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Received on Mon Aug 26 11:57:53 2002