Subject: J.D.'s rep
From: Jon Tveite (jontv@ksu.edu)
Date: Wed Feb 12 1997 - 02:40:44 GMT
First of all, let me apologize for sending my previous message so many
times. When they kept bouncing back I assumed they weren't getting
through.
Secondly, it's clear that Mark Chapman was profoundly unbalanced,
emotionally, so I don't think we need to take his interest in CITR very
seriously -- certainly not to the point of standing up for the book or its
author. It's true that many people have a fairly obsessive relationship
with it, but Chapman was obsessed to the extent that the object of his
obsession was beside the point. As someone else said, it could have just
as easily been Anne Rice -- or "Taxi Driver" (the obsession of John
Hinckley, who shot Reagan and also named CATCHER as his favorite book).
Tim <oconnort@nyu.edu> said:
> I've found that a lot of adults -- ESPECIALLY English teachers -- have a
> kind of backlash reaction to Salinger, as if he were an embarrassing
> enthusiasm that dates back to when they were younger and more
> idealistic. That's not fair to say; it's a sweeping generalization
> about people, but I've often run into that attitude. One English
> teacher I had would not discuss Salinger at all. He said, "Most of us
> consider him to be a minor writer," and that was the end of that.
Show me a writer that every academic endorses and I'll show you a bunch of
books nobody ever reads. The way to make a career in the ivory tower is
to champion one author at the expense of a dozen others. Salinger has
never been ideal material for dissertations because his effect is so
personal, so visceral -- not easy to analyze. Rest assured, though,
plenty of critical ink has been spilled in JD's favor. The former head of
my English Dept. has given professional presentations that argue very
strongly for JD's importance as a literary figure. JD's also on my
personalized reading list for the MA exam, which was approved by a
committee of three professors without any questions.
Good to hear from my homeboy Todd out there in SLC!
Jon
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