<fontfamily><param>Times</param><bigger>Hello everyone. I think that, before I get on with my point about JDS, I should probably introduce myself because it seems (just from my reading of the last two Bananafish Digests) that you all know each other, or, at least, are familiar with each other and, to be perfectly honest, I feel a bit like I'm barging into a conversation and that probably I should just hold my tongue a while longer before piping up and being annoying and generally causing a big commotion where there wasn't one before. Anyway, I'm Dave Koch. I'm a senior at the University of Pennsylvania studying philosophy and creative writing (a bit.) So pleased to meet you and all that. I found this list because, over the break, when I was home for a day or two and bored out of my mind, I picked up _Franny and Zooey_ for the first time since high school and, of course, loved it to pieces. My immediate reaction was to stop reading new books all together and just spend the rest of my life rereading this one. But that passed (unfortunately) and now I've just read "Raise High" and will get through "Seymour" today, hopefully, and then onto (re)read _Nine Storeis_ and it's all wonderful and I'm happy to have rediscovered JDS and discovered this list &c. The problem I have, though, with this list discussions (and here problem is the wrong word entirely because for one thing it's connotations are far too negative and also because me pronouncing problems with the discussion before I've even taken the time to actually participate in it is hopelessly arrogant) is that the focus seems to be all plot plot plot to the exclusion, it seems, of how wonderful the <italic>writing</italic> itself is, how Franny's being pregnant (she's not, of course) shouldn't be the thing that grabs us the most about "Franny", how we should talk more about the real genius of writing dialogue as small monologues and the like. I wonder if anyone has anything to say on the matter. Hope so. Sorry for butting in. --Dave </bigger></fontfamily>