Re: introduction and queries

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On Thu, 10 Jul 1997, Rebecca McCallum wrote:

>   My question is this (this goes out especially to all of you who are
> doing theses, etc., on Salinger works...):  Is there anyone else out there
> having trouble doing academic work on something one feels utterly
> passionate about?  Every time I approach writing on something I really
> love (in music or literature), I suddenly want to protect this piece of
> beauty from the long cold fingers of Academia, whose touch sometimes seems
> to kill anything it comes into contact with.  Is it possible to work
> within the Ivory Tower without being too disheartened by (or, heaven
> forbid, even turning into one of) the Mr. Tuppers of the world?

This is a problem I have as well. How I have dealt with it has been by
realizing that any serious and focused academic work results in uncovering
mysteries of one sort or another.  Keep the mysteries in your focus, and
the awe and amazement they inspire.  Mr. Tupper will not be able to touch
the unknowable and undefinable.  From my perspective at least, it is the
constant need of academics to categorize and define everything that kills
what academics come into contact with.  Find what they cannot categorize.

Hope that help,

Mark
Sheely@online.emich.edu

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