Re: go see eddie


Subject: Re: go see eddie
From: Mattis Fishman (mattis@argoscomp.com)
Date: Thu Dec 21 2000 - 10:33:33 GMT


Andy asks:

>does anyone know what buddy's real first name is? and don't say jerome. i
>believe it starts with a w (not dubya, at least i don't think so. i still
>haven't gotten over my recent conversion to rabid democrat, or, as sean c
>would say, hippocrat). is it webb? in down at the dinghy, boo-boo tells
>lionel that the goggles he threw in the water used to belong to seymour, but
>now belong to "uncle webb." who dat?

This question came up several years ago, and the reference to Uncle Webb
also was seen as possibly referring to Buddy. Good catch, Andy.
Of course he could have been an uncle from his father's side, though I
guess if the goggles came from Seymour it is more likely that Webb is on the
Glass side.

In Hapworth, Seymour refers to Buddy as W. G. Glass, so I guess the
possibility exists that this stands for Webb.

You know, it just struck me as I mentioned "Hapworth" that there is a side
effect of its publication notice. That is, even if it never will be published,
and never was even intended for a large printing and mass dissemination, the
fact that it is designated for release gives it a sort of canonization. Whereas
Salinger deliberately opposed the collection of his other stories as being
unworthy, it seems more legitimate to dig out a detail or a corroboration
from Hapworth now, than to rely on information from Holden from some of the
older stories. This might be simply because Hapworth was written so much
later and with what appears to be the intention of tying up details in the
Glass family, but I feel that it's announced publication has given it a
higher status somehow. If not literarily, for those who are not impressed
with it, then at least for "authenticity", whatever that means when
discusing fictional characters.

all the best,
Mattis
(who was incidentally pleased to see his name mentioned on-list this week
almost as many times as Scottie (but not as many times as General Powell)
but who really not such a big baseball fan)
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