ENOUGH FOR ME! i don't know what you're all talking about right now, but i'll venture into a topic rather than continue reading through a backlog of digests (1 hour of reading with 2-3 to follow doesn't really excite me all that much).... On Plath-i absolutely loved the bell jar. something about the scene where she loses her virginity....i saw an abuse of innocence there. not so much a loss, because she didn't know what she was doing nor did she know why she bled so bad afterward. i think her innocence was dulled in that case, not destroyed....i don't know, just a thought. reminds me a lot of myself. On Relating to Books-someone posted something about being able to relate to holden rather than to huck finn....i think because with as much as things have changed in our society since the '50s, the basic fundamental emotions, problems, and feelings that teenagers experience today are strikingly similar, although we now have the threat of aids and increasingly potent illegal drugs, gangs, etc. all of those things existed in the era of huck finn, but not in such serious terms. aids was replaced with some other disease, drugs with alcohol, etc. ***** how many of us could relate to Hester Prynne? i for one could, because i know how sex can be used against you to drive you towards shame. i don't think its when or how the book is written, but rather how the characters relate in their lives that makes *us* relate to them. it's all in how you relate to the characters and their lives and the similarities they share with you. On Threads-i think threads are what makes this list thrive. how many of us could stand just sitting around and discussing salinger all of the time without any threads to sprinkle in the mix? (please don't flame!) what i mean by that is the fact that, to use an old cliche, variety is the spice of life. threads are what make this list interesting. threads bring us together. threads help us realize that we are all more than just faceless names punching keys on computers in order to convey thoughts. threads make us a family. while sometimes these threads may seem a bit excessive and drawn out, they make us whole. On Names-have any of you seen "Chasing Amy?" (another movie by film guru Kevin Smith...read: mallrats, clerks) i won't ruin the plot, but the basic gist is that the main character falls in love with a lesbian and has to deal with his homophobic friend as well as his own feelings about sexuality, relationships, and life. cute movie, great ending (maybe sad, maybe happy, depends on how you read the situation). what i found interesting was that the main character is placed in a holden/mr. antolini situation (in some respects). the main character's name is also HOLDEN. good luck with finals, work, life everybody! (choose applicable term) jessica :) ____________________________________________________________________________ __________ X X X Lizard Mahogany X l X 2703 Craig Road X l o X EaU ClAirE Wi 54701 X l X X o l X X l X " . . . We are Every-day angels X X X X X X X and I'd like to stay that way . . ." X -J E W E L X X " . . . You could have it all my X empire of dirt i will let you down X i will make you hurt . . ." X -N I N X STOP BY AT THE S E V E N T H S T O N E WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/PARIS/RUE/5042/ YOUR GOTHIC AND FANTASY TEXT COLLECTION ____________________________________________________________________________ ___________