Salinger, Pynchon, DeLillo, Burns


Subject: Salinger, Pynchon, DeLillo, Burns
kkfchoi@netcom.ca
Date: Thu Jun 26 1997 - 17:44:56 GMT


The New York Times, May 19, 1991 (article by Vince Passaro) :
'Like "Libra," "Mao II" [DELILLO] appropriates certain known facts and
legends. It concerns an extremely famous, obsessively reclusive author, a
SALINGER-PYNCHON type, named Bill Gray (...)' [Aha! Our triangle again]
DeLillo:
"And I had another photograph--it was a picture that appeared on the front
page of The New York Post, in the summer, I think, of 1988, and it was a
photograph of J.D. Salinger. They sent two photographers to New Hampshire,
to stalk him. It took them six days, but they found him. And they took his
picture. He saw them and they saw him. When they took his picture he came
at them. His face is an emblem of shock and rage. It's a frightening
photograph. I didn't know it at the time, but these two pictures would
represent the polar extremes of "Mao II", the arch individualist and the
mass mind, from the mind of the terrorist to the mind of the mass
organization. In both cases, it's the death of the individual that has to
be accomplished before their aims can be realized."

Interesting to note the similarities between Robert Burns (who wrote Comin
Thro' the Rye and inspired TCITR) and Salinger--Burns liked to socialize
with women, Salinger had 3 marriages; Burns was a farmer, Salinger lives in
the rural countryside of NH; Burns is the eldest of 7 children, as was
Seymour; Burns died in his 30's, as did Seymour; Burns was born in January
and was therefore a Capricorn, as were Salinger and Seymour; Burns liked to
drink, Salinger drank in the Army; Burns had few years of formal education,
Salinger dropped out at a certain point; both were raised by religious
parents...

J :)



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