Re: new yorker

William Hochman (wh14@is9.nyu.edu)
Wed, 25 Aug 1999 10:42:16 -0400 (EDT)

I studied with a scholar who compared different drafts of _Between the
Acts_ by Virginia Woolf...for those wanting to dance deeply between the
lines following this work was like bycycle drafting behind a fine
writer...personally, I don't believe the editing mechanics of salinger's
are a huge part of the man's art.  I think he's pretty careful about his
work to begin with, but then again I'm also daft enough to think
"Hapworth" is well worthwhile.  

Quickly, and much too much from memory, I
think this last published story was a way for Salinger to color his Glass
world with some of Seymour and Buddy's young moments where literary acumen
and spiritual wisdom mix with youth.  I know I'm positioning myself
against brevity, which is unwise in most writing situations, but 
in the case of "Hapworth" I'm imagining Salinger wanted to really show the
seed of the Glass myth in some ways that may be more apropos for a novel
than a longish short story.  I do remember reading somewhere that Bill
Shawn had to push SAI through some tough discussion and my guess is that
the real editing value he added to Salinger was more of a mentoring
(nurture, protect, instruct gently) value, a link to the publishing world
that even Holden could respect...will