Subject: Re: Salinger's silence
From: Mark Kuhar (mkuhar@mail.ohio.net)
Date: Wed Feb 19 1997 - 08:33:24 GMT
I tend to agree. Salinger his body of work really are two different
animals, and we should not mix them up. When Salinger points his finger at
the moon, don't mistake his finger for the moon. I also have a bit of a
problem when I hear people try to link all of Salinger's stories, surmising
that Teddy is actually Seymour, etc. I doubt the author had a grand master
plan of character linkage that he followed through his writing career. I
believe, like other author's, something captured his imagination, wheter it
was a character or a scene or a bit of dialog, and the story developed from
theere. --mark
>Hello I am new to this but felt a need to reply. Why is it that we must
>connect the author's personal life to his work? Do we evaluate all art
>based on the personal life of the artist? If that be the case the poetry of
>Ezra Pound would be thrown because of the link to facism. The work of
>Sylvia Plath would be tossed because she committed suicide with her kids
>upstairs. While we are at it lets pitch Hemingway because he put a shotgun
>to his forehead.
>
>As much as we can say that Salinger's life is in some way an extension of
>his writing, the opposite is true. His writing is an extension of his
>experiences. Twain wrote Huck Finn based on people he knew. Salinger wrote
>of Holden Caufield based on either himself and his own angst or on those he
>knew. It is easy to say that he knows a Seymour or a Buddy and modeled
>those characters/people accordingly.
>
>Salinger is no different than Thoreau or even Dickenson: a bit exentric
>perhaps, but desiring to be left alone. The man has a bit of money, and a
>desire to live deliberately. Given the stir that his one novellette
>continues to cause, why not stand back and avoid the controversy. I would
>say that we should avoid terms such as stingy and standoffish in regards to
>those who simply wish to be left alone.
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>
>
>>Dear list people,
>> I have been re-reading RHTRC and SAI and thinking about Salinger. This has
>>probably been said a million times before but I thought I would share it
>>anyway. One of the central dilemmas of understanding Salinger's silence
>>(and his implied rejection of all of us) is that it contrasts so sharply
>>with the generosity, love and charity of thought demonstrated by Seymour,
>>and to a lesser extent, Buddy. How can the same man, who created Seymour,
>>be so stingy with himself, and so standoffish? If the characters were all
>>curmudgeons who hated people, somehow the author's rejection of his public
>>would be easier to understand. Do others have thoughts about this contrast?
>> Thanks for the list, and for writing. I am lurkish, but enjoying it
>>greatly.
>>
>>Jude
>>
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>
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