Subject: Re: 22 uncollected stories
From: Will Hochman (hochman@southernct.edu)
Date: Thu Dec 06 2001 - 01:58:24 GMT
Jim, I respectfully disagree with your point about Salinger not
republishing early work. Since we both have spent time at the
Princeton Library, I have to admit "Ocean Full of Bowling Balls" and
one or two other unpublished stories there really rang my bell. I was
fortunate enough when I was there to gain permission to read the
stories into a tape recorder and when I return to them I always feel
like they are well worth reading and certainly worthwhile for anyone
wanting to know about some family background. The uncollected stories
are uneven, but I think they are important in the way they show a
young writer maturing. I think "the Inverted Forest" is really one of
his best stories...it's dark and not as sharp as anything in the 9,
but I think Raymond Ford is a version of Seymour in the real
world...And finally, as you know, I must disagree about Hapworth as
well. It's not a fun story to read, but I have pages of reading notes
that round out much of what I know of the glass family. Essentially,
it's a story that fuses literature and a spiritual sense of being
that may not be worth the word count, but still offers anyone with
Salinger interests some pretty good nuggets. will
-- Will HochmanAssistant Professor of English Southern Connecticut State University 501 Crescent St, New Haven, CT 06515 203 392 5024
http://www.southernct.edu/~hochman/willz.html
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