Re: unfortunately, more

Camille Scaysbrook (c_scaysbrook@yahoo.com)
Wed, 18 Aug 1999 16:50:58 +1000 

Scottie Bowman wrote:
>     '... It's the act of observation itself that we identify 
>     with, not necessarily what is being observed ...'
> 
>     I know this is one of Camille's watchwords but I'm 
>     not sure I agree with it.  (I MAY but I'm not sure.)
> 
>     If Holden had been emerging from an 18th Century 
>     coffee house & heard one of Master Mozart's latest 
>     numbers being played on an upstairs harpsichord, 
>     it would be quite wrong to think one had shared 
>     the experience by putting Bob Dylan into the frame 
>     instead.  Recognising a familiar tune is not the point.  
>     We're being invited to recreate the world of 1948 
>     (or thereabouts) New York & insofar as we've seen 
>     movies of the period, know the tunes of the time, 
>     read copies of old magazines, talked to people who 
>     were around then & so on, we shall be able to do 
>     the work - however inadequately - that Salinger 
>     is entitled to expect of us.

Again, I can (gasp!) see your point Scottie. That the setting *does* have a
bearing on its contents; that salt appears purple if it's in a purple
bottle, so to speak. 

There is no doubting that the fact that Catcher is set in the 1950s has
some bearing on it as a text, and that the era - of postwar consumerism,
conservatism and general phoniness does have a thematic resonance. But I do
agree with Jim also, that great art is characterised by the fact that while
being of its time, the bare bones of the story transcends its time and
becomes both timeless and universal. Again, I draw on Shakespeare -
everyone everywhere any time is going to be able to sympathise with `to be
or not to be,' because it's a universal human fear - why bother with living
at all? This message - the `story' of the play - does not change whether
Hamlet is a Hutu warrior, an eskimo, an Australian farmer or an American
hot dog seller. While naturally Shakespeare made him a Danish prince for
some reason, it is not damaging Shakespeare's essential message to
translate or substitute elements of it to ensure that it has the same
impact for people who are unfamiliar with its setting or particulars.
Hamlet felt the same way, *I* feel the same way, no matter where he is or
who he is - it is the feelings which stay the same. True, `Smoke Gets In
Your Eyes' comes with its own particular baggage and resonances - but its
virtue is that this is something you may or may not get out of the story,
but most importantly, it's not essential that you do. You don't have to
know that Singer X sung it in Bar Y just before Celebrity Z got up and made
their professional debut. You know - and people will know long after
*nobody* knows how that song goes - exactly what Holden felt.

That is why, I think, we end up playing a game of substitution with great
literature. To me, that is what makes us (yes, I know, I know) a part of
every piece of art that affects us.

I'm a little diffuse today, I've got a possible career-making coup coming
up this week. Wish me luck.

Camille
verona_beach@geocities.com
Camille
verona_beach@geocities.com



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