Re: French's short story cycle


Subject: Re: French's short story cycle
From: Paul Miller (phm@midsouth.rr.com)
Date: Sat Feb 05 2000 - 00:22:03 EST


some critics are still better than others, and some
care more about their subjects than about themselves...those are the good
ones...
Jim-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----

Amen to this. Three cheers for the good ones.

 At the conclusion of JDS Revisited French calls Ralph Ellison's "Invisible
Man" the "Moby dick" of the American twentieth century. I liked "Invisible
Man" but I wouldn't make this claim for it. French says that he doesn't
agree with James Miller that Salinger occupies the pre-eminent position in
post ww 2 American fiction.
 You almost get the impression that he is angry that he never even saw
Salinger in all those years he lived in Cornish. Low blow I guess, shame on
me.
In the last few lines he does write that the most admirable characters
Salinger created remain Lady Esme and De Daumier Smith.
 I would let Lady Esme sit on that throne alone however and assign De
Daumier Smith to one of the most likable characters along with Holden,
Phoebe, Allie, the ducks, Laughing man, Omba the dwarf, Sergeant X,
Charles, and if she can appear in another category, Esme.

Paul

-
* Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
* UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b25 : Thu Mar 02 2000 - 19:30:23 EST