Re: the Jerry & Ernie show
WILL HOCHMAN (hochman@uscolo.edu)
Wed, 17 Feb 1999 07:47:20 -0700 (MST)
In a July 27, 1946, to Mr. Hemingway,Mr. Salinger begins with "Dear Poppa"
and is genuinely chatty...here's a short quote from it that may show a bit
of its fawning nature:
"How is your novel coming? I hope you're working hard on it. Dont sell
it to the movies. You're a rich guy. As Chairman of your many fan clubs,
I know I speak for all the members when I say Down with Gary Cooper.
You're working on a new novel, aren't you? "
I've always guessed that like most writers, Mr. Salinger thought of
Mr. Hemingway as a kind of "father" of american fiction--as a father of a
style that may make stories work better with fewer modifiers and
stronger verbs...I will probably teach "Indian Camp" in my classes as a
way to show how fiction happens with what isn't written on the page...
something of what Tim is getting at in his post I think...
Maybe they callled Mr. Salinger "Sonny" because of his literary heritage?
willy