Subject: Re: Reference to JDS by Paul Thomas Anderson
From: Will Hochman (hochman@southernct.edu)
Date: Wed May 08 2002 - 14:03:47 EDT
Midge, your post makes perfect Salingerian sense, will
>Hi Bananafish!
>
>I'm taking a class on post World War 2 American Fiction and Salinger
>isn't even on the supplementary reading list. It sort of peeved me
>at first, but now with the class almost over, I'm glad the professor
>didn't lecture on him. Sometim es they spoil it for you.
>
>Bye!
>
>Midge
>
>
>
> Jim Rovira <jrovira@drew.edu> wrote:
>
>First off, Robbie, thanks for clearing that up :)
>
>Next, will, many argue (I know you know this :) ) that even the
>standards of "good craft" are inherently ge nder and class biased -- that
>what we consider "Good writing" is simply the discourse of an elite
>community. So being "white male" is still significant. The only time I
>read white males is in lit classes that cover pre-1950 writing, and the
>cl oser to the 19th century you get, the more women writers are included.
>
>At my University, a class about the history of terrorism saw 60 people
>sign up (where the average class size is around 15). Another class
>covering Arabic women writers wa s remarkably popular as well.
>
>It's just the times. I don't think Salinger is going to go away...if HS
>students still get into him, they're not going to let him go away :).
>Once the white male becomes a matter of! nostalgia (as a member of the
>ruling elite), people will dig up Salinger before they dig up many
>others...
>
>That's not to take away from what you're saying too, though, just to add
>to it.
>
>Jim
>
>Will Hochman wrote:
>>
>> The question of Salinger's status among college English professors
>> may have less to do with gender and skin color than the fact that he
>> initially appeals to young folks with Catcher. I can easily argue the
>> literary merits of C atcher based on language, structure, character
>> development, narration, etc but I suspect that Salinger is devalued
>> in higher education because Catcher is consider a middle school or
>> high school text. Too bad, it's really a novel th at reveals more and
>> more with the type of exegesis and research college thinkers
>> sometimes do. However, Micaela's question still lingers and I would
>> argue that Salinger's ability as a short story writer! is tops (or at
>> least in the company of Flannery O'Connor and Ray Carver) and that
>> his craft as a short story writer should be studied more carefully.
>> Why English professors poopoo JDS is that students really get
>> Salinger a nd live with his ideas in affective ways that many teachers
>> are not trained to deal with. I was lucky. I spent my first graduate
>> life getting trained as a poet so when it came time to do the dis on
>> Salinger, I was tenaciously able to guard the fact that literature
>> has feeling and studying the feelings and meaning making together
>> makes more sense than dividing them. But for all the good ideas my so
> > called Salinger education has found, he still does not carry much
> > weight among English professors. I balance the condescension I
> > receive as a Salinger scholar with the ironic fact that Salinger has
>> helped make me a successful "section man." I understand and live ! with
>> Salinger's fiction and have been able to earn professional respect
>> outside of English departments because Salinger's work makes me care
>> about my students. Publishing also helps and even in departments like
>> mine where S alinger isn't impressing the major dudes, my Salinger
>> work is well regarded. But as I sit here now, I want to say this--it
>> doesn't matter who your teachers want you to read. Just do it and
>> read others too...know your reading life i s yours...professors will
>> help where they can, but as long as readers don't stray too far from
>> what pages tell them, they will stay close to the pages that matter
>> most. will
>>
>> PS: My own example is not a good one.
>> --
>> Will Hochman
>>
>> Associate Professor of English
>> Southern Connecticut State University
>> 501 Crescent St, New Haven, CT 06515
>> 203 392 5024
>>
>> http://www.southern! ct.edu/~hochman/willz.html
> >
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-- Will HochmanAssociate Professor of English Southern Connecticut State University 501 Crescent St, New Haven, CT 06515 203 392 5024
http://www.southernct.edu/~hochman/willz.html
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