Re: story, hair, etc

Mattis Fishman (mattis@argoscomp.com)
Tue, 13 Jul 1999 11:47:11 -0400 (EDT) 

    Hello,

    Well, I must say that I was so nearly blinded by the dollar that was
    dangled before my fogged-over eyes, eyes that may very well get their
    last glimpse of the ceiling as my brain slowly replays "And in the end,
    the love you take..." (as you Abbey Roadsters can appreciate), that
    I almost forgot to notice what a nice story I was reading.

    Thanks a lot, Jim, for a pleasant start to another day of slogging
    through the old HTML. But where were you on Monday, eh? When the bus
    was late, the inbox full, the coffee lukewarm (and Matt K. not even around
    to commiserate with about this lamentable state of affairs). Well
    thank goodness for the rest of you all, even if I do belong to the camp
    that theology and the internet make mismatched bedfellows.

    Rick and Mirjam, please don't think that no one has noticed your several
    attempts to lead the list, by its hair perhaps, back from Never-Never
    land. I feel a mixture of admiration and sympathy for anyone who can
    ignore the bickering and launch a new idea only to discover what a black
    hole we bananafish live in. I'm afraid I cannot make any connection
    between Holden and Peter Pan, as you suggested, but didn't you 
    promise (threaten?) to share an opinion that you'd come across?

    As for hair, obviously Holden's touch of gray (take that, Jim, for
    25 cents) plays an important part of creating the image of out-of-sync
    man-boy that is central to the book, as you point out. And we all know
    the feel of Charlotte's stain on our hands, whether first hand,
    vicariously, or at the very least by imitation.
    
    As for other characters, I am hampered both by not having any books
    here, and by the phenonmenon that what's-his-name just posted
    about, that blends forgetfulness with the lyrics of an LP collection
    which my children may be "borrowing" from me ("her hair, in a fine
    mist, floats on my pillow, reflecting the glow of the winter moonlight"
    for $2.50). Still, I wonder if the descriptions of Phoebe sleeping,
    or of Ramona, in Uncle Wiggly, don't mention a similar, angelic,
    halo.
    
    You know, I am not sure that I would have associated hair or any of
    its qualities particularly with children until I read Scotty's post
    of a few months ago in which he drew the line between children's
    natural attractiveness and pedophilia. Among the other lovely traits of
    children he wrote (more or less) "their hair is shinier". An interesting
    observation. For one thing, simply because Scotty singled this out, and
    perhaps more importantly, much like telling me that a piece of music
    affects me in a particular way because of the use of (let's say) open
    fifths (a la Copland), there is the revelation that there is this
    glow visible to my subconscious eye which makes me want to stain my hands
    red, yellow and brown.

    Speaking of Rick and Mirjam, no speaking TO Rick and Mirjam, I keep
    getting knocked out by your use of "we". After I remember that I am
    not reading Richard III, I never fail to be impressed by the fact that
    you are at the stage when you can still use the plural pronoun to
    express *ideas*. Now, when my wife says "we" it's usually as in
    "we need to paint the garage" in which it really means "you", or in
    "we need new furniture" in which it means "I". Well, keep up the
    good work.

    all the best,
    Mattis