Re: Try listening to the real ideas and ignore vitriolic attacks

RESPONSE AT BOTTOM

--- James Rovira <jrovira@drew.edu> wrote:
> Response below:
>
> Kim Johnson wrote:
>
> >>Also, I take issue with the view J.D. Salinger's
> >>central myth is art not
> >>impeded by religion. While the point about family
> is
> >>a good one, think how
> >>Eastern philosophy dominates all aspects of his
> >>later work. Art is not
> >>impeded by religion, it's saturated by it.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >will wrote: "...how to locate art within a
> spiritual
> >framework that is not impeded by religion..."
> >
> >this is quite different from your misreading above.
> >
> >(i might add i found your misreading re 'old man'
> in
> >his 'goodbye' post surprising.)
> >
> >kim
> >
> Actually, at that one point I think John G. read
> will right -- the
> religion point. I could be mistaken. A "spiritual
> framework" that is
> "not impeded by religion" sounds to me like a
> non-dogmatic spirituality,
> but Salinger's narrative voice sounds quite a bit
> dogmatic about these
> religion matters sometimes -- at least in "Teddy."
> I get the impression
> that was part of the immaturity of Teddy himself --
> you never do know
> when to follow the great enlightened pre-adolescent
> and when to make
> excuses for him -- but still...
>
> Jim

i agree that 'teddy' is dogmatic. this story
announces jds's new love affair with advaita vedanta
(sp?).

but i would suggest that the later glass stories are
an attempt to create a spiritual text imbued with the
best of the world's religions. that, at this point,
salinger didn't want to get hung up on a *specific
religion* (hence will's "impeded by religion").
though one could argue he's only created a cheap
knockoff 'mysticism' ...

i still think will was pretty right-on in his original
description of salinger's work; too bad he isn't
around any longer to clarify what he meant.

kim

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Received on Mon Mar 3 17:28:21 2003