Subject: RE: Is "For Esmé" for real?
From: Cold Fish (jiggyfish@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri Dec 14 2001 - 11:00:40 GMT
Here are my two €...
While squalor is indeed defined as "dirty," in this context I think Esmé is
referring to the conditions typical of the hyper-Romanticist (my term)
literature of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries: full of strife,
transcendant love and overwhelmingly difficult circumstances.
Esmé probably wanted Sgt. X to write something with an underlying message
similar to that of a more modern work that is "extremely squalid and
moving," 'Love in the Time of Cholera,' in which a recurring theme is: "love
becomes greater and nobler in calamity."
Speaking of €, hope you get your Kronins (is that your currency?) converted
soon.
Judd
>From: ZazieZazie@hetnet.nl
>Reply-To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>To: <bananafish@roughdraft.org>
>Subject: RE: Is "For Esmé" for real?
>Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 14:30:59 +0100
>
>my 2 eurocents ....
>i don't think Esmee is real, she's much too idealized for that, as is the
>little brother.
>What does squalid, or squalor really mean? Is it, as the dictionary say,
>'dirty'? I find that a little limiting,
>are there any other meanings to the word? Or what, in the opinion of the
>native speakers, is the meaning intended here?
>I got this book from my ex-bf, and i am not really sure what he meant by
>it, so there's a personal interest here as well :-)
>
>Z.
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: "owner-bananafish@roughdraft.org" <owner-bananafish@roughdraft.org>
>on behalf of "Cold Fish" <jiggyfish@hotmail.com>
>Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 6:13 PM
>To: "bananafish@roughdraft.org" <bananafish@roughdraft.org>
>Subject: Re: Is "For Esmé" for real?
>
>I want to know if JDS literally wrote "For Esmé" as the belated fulfillment
>of a promise to a young, orphaned British girl to write a story for her and
>"Make it extremely squalid and moving."
>
>In other words, is "For Esmé" a work of pure fiction or a recounting of
>JDS'
>(or, rather, Staff Sergent X's) own wartime experiences?
>
>Judd
>
> >From: Jim Rovira <jrovira@drew.edu>
> >Reply-To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
> >To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
> >Subject: Re: Is "For Esmé" for real?
> >Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 11:30:59 -0500
> >
> >heh...love your tag :).
> >
> >I mean, I know it's autobiographical to the extent that Chris mentioned
>in
> >his replies to you...yes, Salinger was in the service and undoubtedly
>drew
> >from his experiences to write his wartime fiction. The question is...how
> >far do you think it's autobiographical? Are you asking all the way down
>to
> >his meeting a young woman and her brother in a restaurant and getting a
> >watch from her in the mail? The story seems to imply a motive for its
>own
> >writing...so I wonder if Salinger himself was similarly motivated? Are
>you
> >asking that far?
> >
> >Maybe Will and Tim would know :).
> >
> >Jim
> >
> >Cold Fish wrote:
> > >
> > > The academics in the group will have to forgive me, as I'm sure the
> >question
> > > I'm about to ask has been treated at length in this forum or another;
> > > however, since I have yet to read commentary on the subject, I will
> >raise it
> > > here.
> > >
> > > Is there any evidence that "For Esmé with Love and Squalor" is at all
> > > autobiographical? Every time I read that story -- and I read it
> >frequently
> > > -- I am struck by the degree of realism that I don't tend to see in
> >other
> > > JDS works (possibly with the exception of the Zooey half of Franny and
> > > Zooey). I can't help but feel that the story is inspired by something
> >unique
> > > and very personal.
> > >
> > > I know that JDS was in the service during WWII, but I don't know where
> >or if
> > > he was anywhere near D-Day.
> > >
> > > I also know that the date of publication of the story could roughly
> >coincide
> > > with the character's wedding at age 18.
> > >
> > > Again, if this is a Salinger no-brainer, I apologize...it certainly
> >feels
> > > like an elementary question for this group.
> > >
> > > Judd
> > >
> > > _________________________________________________________________
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