Re: The even less I know...
Steven Byrd (byrds@papa.uncp.edu)
Fri, 05 Jun 1998 15:44:03 +0000
Angie and other Bananafishers,
Angie, I have to say that I agree with you on this one. Sure, this list was
constructed with the tunnel-vision idea of speaking about Salinger, Salinger,
Salinger (and there is NOTHING wrong with that, I will start out by saying), but I
think that you hit on something really nice in your mail. I mean, couldn't we all
share with each other?
Of course I don't mean "Gee, what did you do today?" kind of banal, everyday
sharing, that would just clog the list with crap, but I mean sharing about BIGGER
things, more important. Things like our poetry, and our musical opinions, our
feelings about shitty Time magazine articles, or our viewpoints about Zen for that
matter. I mean, does it really HAVE to be "All Salinger, nothing but Salinger, all
the time!!!" We all share a particular common ground here, people. Like Angie
said, we have all taken away something from Salinger's writing, something that
meant so much to each us that it caused us to flood our e-mail accounts with posts
from random strangers and smile the whole time. We could us that ground to build
something on it, something good, someplace we can share if we want to. Right now,
it's like we are horses running a race, blinders on our faces and all.
Don't get me wrong, of course there should still be "all Salinger" posts. In
fact, I believe the majority of the posts should be all Salinger related, that's
what the list is for (aren't you glad I am telling you how to run the list? that's
not what I am doing, I promise), but I think we should take the blinders off a
little, not be so scared of digression. I mean, there is only so much you can say
about Salinger before it just becomes nit-picky. And if you can't digress on a
Salinger mailing list, then where can you digress?
Now I will just sit back and wait for my mail telling me to join the "typical
conversation" mailing list, or something. Hope I wasn't too much of a bother. Bye
for now.
Prufrock33@aol.com wrote:
> Salinger was the first writer that made me feel comfortable as a reader. When
> I turned the page it was not to finish a book, but to understand a person. I
> always believed that Salinger's genius (if you want to call it that...I do)
> stems not from who or what he wrote or how he wrote, even. It is from all of
> the above. Even those without the exceptional backgrounds of the characters he
> uses in his stories can appreciate their honesty. I think that eastern thought
> is definitely expressed in his work because of it's raw veracity in the
> simpliest (but, yet, very complex) terms. AFter I read Franny and Zooey I
> decided to pass out and wake up her. I always felt her ways. I always felt
> Holden's ways. We all have. We all have been wanting/needing to get past the
> bullshit and the "phonies" because God knows Salinger's fictional characters
> hated those "phonies". We never want to wake up one morning in some blankets
> and find that our terrible insecurties are in bed right beside of us. We never
> want to say we are like Them, even if we do not know who They may be. Maybe
> this is just me...I hope not. I would like to think that almost everyone (if
> not everyone) breathes not for the sake of breathing but because they feel
> obscenely beautiful just to be alive.
>
> Let's talk about Punk rock, let's talk about poetry, let's talk about eastern
> thought and tattoos, and being born, and smoking cigars. Not to sound too
> absolutely giddy and romantic and silly, but I do not care enough to mail
> unless I want to say something. I think we all do. So let's talk and talk and
> if Salinger comes up then wonderful...if he doesn't for awhile then he
> doesn't. That is maybe what e-mail subjects were designed for, to announce
> beforehand.
>
> I just want to share...don't you?
>
> I hope someone out there agrees with me. I know you all got something from
> Salinger...he gives something honest and free out to all his readers...but do
> not be uptight about it. We aren't here for any damn (in my opinon) RULES or
> GUIDELINES but if things flow well then we can do whatever and maybe we can
> enjoy this ride? I don't mean to sound cliched. I appologize to all that have
> had to read my incessant ramblings and poetry. I just do not have much of a
> voice and I cannot imagine that the people on this list do not...so I wanted
> to say something aloud to people I hoped would understand.
>
> Maybe I am wrong...maybe it doesn't matter enough.
>
> I just want to do something beautiful...like Franny says the poets do or are
> supposed to do. I just want everyone to see something wonderful and I want to
> be as honest as Salinger. Who thinks what and how...and if you do please
> respond and tell me if I am off on an island all to my self and I should come
> back to earth. (My world seems much prettier I must say...and the people here
> are nicer)
>
> ANgie