Re: Genius and education

>From: Lucy Pearson <l_r_pearson@yahoo.co.uk>
>Reply-To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>Subject: Genius and education
>Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 21:52:47 +0100 (BST)
>
> Dear All,
>
>
>Salinger ambivalent attitude towards education seems
>to me one that most of us involved in education can
>recognise. He's very hostile to the system and to
>specific aspects of the system, for example section
>men (I can't really say how justified that particular
>pet hate is as we don't generally have them in
>England). Personally, I simultaneously depair at some
>of the bureaucracy and mediocrity (both in teachers
>and students) inherent in the education system and
>rejoice at the concept of widely available education
>and research. I think that many people feel more
>strongly about this at university level because
>a. they expect it to be something rather more
>advanced, or at least different in emphasis, than high
>school, without taking into account the fct that
>students can hardly be expected to have transformed
>so very much in the six months between the two
> b. when you reach university level you are much more
>hihgly involved with the process; you are older,
>better educated and more critical and articulate, so
>your problems with the system become more focused.
>
>

Most of Salinger's specific attacks on the educational system are towards
higher education. he is fundamentally disagreeing with the approach that
when a person reached the university level they are "better educated." He
prefers the good-hearted but non-tenured high school teacher. It would seem
the aspects of being "more critical and articulate" are the things he hates
most about university professors (apple eaters?). That they have these
conceptions of how smart they are and how they will enlighten students, just
so they can make themselves feel good. It's a superciliouslness that is most
evident, Salinger suggests, in the realm of a "publish or perish" atmosphere
like that in a university, but neglected by those teaching in high schools..

>One last thing - the biggest attack on educational
>figures comes from Franny, and it's important to
>recognise that she does not necessarily represent the
>whole of Salinger's view on the matter. For all I love
>the spiritual element of F&Z, in many ways Franny's
>breakdown is quintessentially that of a bright college
>girl who's found that university is not the elevated,
>unworldy place she'd hoped.
>

I always thought the biggest attack(s) came from Seymour:An Introduction.
After all, the critique of higher education came from the inside-Buddy is a
college instructor. At this point, he is also a writer-in-residence, so at
least he appears to still hold writing as his priority. His attacks center
on younger people similar to Lane Coutell, who are groomed by English
professors and graduate students around the world..

-Aaron

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Received on Tue Aug 27 19:08:08 2002