This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01BF5242.32C5E554 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" On Wed, Dec 29, 1999 at 05:52:10PM +0000, Lucy Pearson wrote: > I'm in love with Holden but not in a way which necessitates being a girl > (if you get what I'm saying) so I don't really think that would encourage > other girls. It seems that this kind of love -- spiritual, platonic -- is the only kind of love that Salinger's characters are meant to inspire in the reader, or themselves permitted to feel. The love that Salinger endorses takes place between family members, or between adults and children, and is notably lacking of any sexual component (pedophilia theories deservingly aside). Whenever sexuality does make an appearance in Salinger's stories, it's typically disguised as perversion or exploitation (e.g., Mr. Antonio's advance, Holden's encounter with the prostitute and pimp, the couple Holden observes from the window of his hotel room, etc. etc. etc.). You might even say that sex, in Salinger's view, is for phonies. I suspect that Holden's 'nonsexuality' is in part what makes him so endearing to young female bananafishers, who are perhaps tired of or threatened by the sexual preoccupations of their male peers. Personally, I find Salinger's residual Puritanism tiresome and, with a nod to Freud, just a bit phony. -Sean ------_=_NextPart_001_01BF5242.32C5E554 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
On Wed, Dec 29, 1999 at 05:52:10PM +0000, Lucy =
Pearson wrote:
> I'm in love with Holden but not in a way =
which necessitates being a girl
> (if you get what I'm saying) so I don't really =
think that would encourage
> other girls.
It seems that this kind of love -- spiritual, = platonic -- is the only kind of love that Salinger's characters are = meant to inspire in the reader, or themselves permitted to feel. The = love that Salinger endorses takes place between family members, or = between adults and children, and is notably lacking of any sexual = component (pedophilia theories deservingly aside). Whenever sexuality = does make an appearance in Salinger's stories, it's typically disguised = as perversion or exploitation (e.g., Mr. Antonio's advance, Holden's = encounter with the prostitute and pimp, the couple Holden observes from = the window of his hotel room, etc. etc. etc.). You might even say that = sex, in Salinger's view, is for phonies.
I suspect that Holden's 'nonsexuality' is in part = what makes him so endearing to young female bananafishers, who are = perhaps tired of or threatened by the sexual preoccupations of their = male peers.
Personally, I find Salinger's residual Puritanism = tiresome and, with a nod to Freud, just a bit phony.
-Sean
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