Liz wrote: > Many American teenagers would feel this way, even > though it is very absurd, becuase they have no > interest in anything that is different or does > not pertain to them and their world. In this way > Matt's post is sadly true. I, for one, was a teenager once. Not too long ago, either. During those years, I felt kind of lonely, very cynical, pretty disenchanted with authority and most of the adult world, and so on. Consequently, I was a lot more interested in finding books that seemed to be about me. Not because I was necessarily very narcissistic--at least not more than most lonely, cynical teenagers--but only because I happened at that time to be searching for myself, looking for my place in the world, etc. The books I found I could relate to, particularly Catcher, eventually--when I was *ready*--opened up to me the whole of the literary world. I don't think teenagers, twentysomethings, thirtysomethings, go as far as you like, can really be called ignorant for a temporary blindness to anything too far off from the part of themselves that they feel they need to develop at that moment. What is literature *for*, anyway? I'll leave that question open-ended, and hope that it starts a great fight. --Brendan _______________________________________________________ Get your free, private email at http://mail.excite.com/