RE: [none]

Greetings and Salutations Pat,

>
>Well John,
>I appreciated your repsonse. What I loved about Nine Stories is how
>realistic everything is .

Salinger is a gifted man, this much you already know. I am glad you enjoyed
Nine Stories, next to Zooey it is my favorite.

The characters and their actions struck
>as being very true to how actual people act, right down to a slight
>inflection of the voice via italics or the manner in which a character
>scratches their ankle or whatnot. Most of the time, we do not really get a
>direct window into the character's minds, but Salinger let's their subtle
>actions provide clues into what they are thinking. I love how in "War with
>the eskimoes," Ginnie continually crosses and uncrosses her legs. To me,
>it was a gauge that showed the level in which she was warming up to
>Selena's brother.

Yes that is a good observation. Ginnie even shows concern over his "wound"
at one point as well. Initially a snob, she eventually accepts the chicken
sandwich, the same type of sandwich Franny eats, and the money she was
worried about is forgotten. The point about Salinger's italics and his great
ear for dialogue is a good one too, I think A Perfect Day for Banafish
exemplifies that the best. Zooey does as well.

  It shows
>how perceptible J.D. is. Could you imagine hanging out with him? He seems
>like he could see through anyone immediately.

I remember reading something Salinger's late sister said about him, God rest
her soul. She said he was a loner, and the Anonymous Man in DDSBP is a
near-autobiographical sketch of J.D. Salinger. But there is a telling
picture of him laughing in his daughter's book that makes me think he is not
as brooding as everyone thinks.

  Also,
>Salinger doesn't pontificate to us; he just tells his stories in an
>unbiased, almost journalistic fashion.

While I understand where you are coming from, I'm not in agreement with you
here. There is a theme of us versus them that dominates Salinger's works
after Nine Stories and this makes any of his later stories seem like one
catechism after another. . Once his work was peppered with religious ideas
then it is later saturated with a Zen Christian mission. That doesn't mean
they are not outstanding pieces of literature, it's just I always wanted to
read more about Holden Caulfield. The book, as his only published novel, was
such an emotional investment for him I am sure there is more to The Catcher
in the Rye than what we have all read. Unfortunately, all indications point
to his postumous published work (and it WILL be published) being more from
the desk of Major Fielding Anti-Climax, W.G. Glass, AKA Buddy.

Cordially,

John Gedsudski
Adjunct Professor of Linguistics
Philistia Community College
501 Lane Court
Ny,NY

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Received on Sun Feb 23 20:04:43 2003