Re: Zooey rediscovered
AntiUtopia@aol.com
Thu, 05 Feb 1998 07:44:19 -0500 (EST)
In a message dated 98-02-05 00:18:18 EST, you write:
<< << And hadn't the thought further occurred to you that Every Main
Character in F and Z were Actors? What does that say about their
personalities, their speech habits, their mannerisms? I felt--especially in
"Zooey" and in his dialog with his mother--that the two were deliberately
trying to manipulate each other using the tricks of their trade. >>
Ok, the first quote here was by me.
<< If you're going to write about the redemption of the soul I don't
think it's humanly possible to do so with any conviction whilst
setting your story in the Upper East Side. The stews of
St Petersburgh perhaps, or a carpenter's shop in Galilee, or
the Gulag Archipelago. But who'd really want a painting of
the Resurrection by Warhol ?>>
and the above quote was by Scottie.
<< Ok.That first quote I was thinking that that guy is just saying that
Salinger
is shown within his characters.But then with the 2nd quote and more later
on,I
find you to be a lot like a few people I have me in my short life.You act
like
the character's Zooey and Bessie are a piece of work that's easy to
achieve.They're not.Try it. >>
eh, I don't remember everything I said in that post, it was awhile back (on an
active listserve, that means 2-3 days :) ). But I don't think I'd think that
Salinger's work was easy. Maybe I spoke the way I did because Salinger Makes
It Look Easy.
I'd never try to pull a Salinger in my writing. Not yet. All my fictional
characters are pretty Over the Top, and I try to use that to communicate
meaning. I haven't been able to pull off Salinger's directed realism yet.
Jim