Subject: Re: Hapworth?
From: Jim Rovira (jrovira@drew.edu)
Date: Thu Dec 06 2001 - 09:20:55 GMT
No, you should listen to me because I'm a Hapworth Hater :). It's too big
a stretch to believe a seven year old could write such a long and detailed
tome. Salinger ran away with himself a bit there. The kid in Teddy is a
bit too precocious too, but at least he's still somewhat believable.
There's a context for his precociousness, and a nod to its unreality --
he's being studied by psychologists and other academic types. Hapworth
just seems to throw you into it.
That doesn't mean it isn't instructive about the Glass family, or that as a
Salinger fan you shouldn't read it. If anything was going to be
republished, though, there are better stories among the uncollected 22. War
stories may be especially interesting given current events -- and I say
this even though I generally dislike them (Salinger's less so than
others). Anything related to Holden would be more interesting, too.
Jim
Cecilia Baader wrote:
>
> --- Jim Rovira <jrovira@drew.edu> wrote:
> > ...Anything but Hapworth.
>
> First of all, Brooks, welcome to the list. Second, don't listen to Jim.
> He's a Hapworth Hater of the first water.
>
> If you want to read the story, find the June 19 1965 issue of The New
> Yorker, pages 32-113 and make the determination for yourself.
>
> "Hapworth 16, 1924" is the only story told in Seymour's voice, a letter
> home to his parents from camp. Honestly, I think it answers nearly every
> question that you can have about the Glass family canon.
>
> There's also a very fine book by Eberhard Alsen called Salinger's Glass
> Stories as a Composite Novel that may help open up Hapworth for you.
>
> Regards,
> Cecilia.
>
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