Subject: RE: Reference to JDS by Paul Thomas Anderson
From: Micaela (mbombard@middlebury.edu)
Date: Tue May 07 2002 - 19:16:16 EDT
First of all, I would like to begin my opinion with a disclaimer. What I
think is solely based on my own experience with people who have read Catcher
and other works by Salinger. It is also in no way meant to be condescending
or directed at certain people in this forum. Phew. That said, I must admit
that most people I have met who strongly identify with Catcher, do not
identify with F&Z, et al. Furthermore, those who do identify more with F&Z
are often more intelligent (again, in reference to my own experience only).
I can't help but wonder if it has to do with A) whether or not Catcher is
more accessible or even more simplistic (or rather, that it is READ that way
by the audience it appeals to) or B) that there is something within each
book that draws a certain "type" of person. I just recall reading Catcher
in high school and become irate that all of these sophomoric minds that
usually appeared dormant were getting excited by a book that I felt was
MINE. But they weren't excited in the same way or for the same reasons that
I was. I fell in love with the nuances...with the subtle contortions of
language and the depth of character; with Holden's diction and movement. I
suppose that I become possessive of Salinger's works when I realize that
some people understand them in a different way that I do that seems overly
simplistic or generic. I LOVE to think that Salinger wrote these stories
for minds just like mine who go crazy over every italicized letter, every
parenthesis, every comma, every dash. I think that the Zen Koan at the
beginning of 9 Stories is so important. Salinger wanted us to approach his
stories not with CONSCIOUS knowledge or LOGIC, but in a state of pure,
simple, uninterpreted experience. I mean, Zen Buddhism teaches that logic
is what is standing in our way of perceiving the world,...Salinger's stories
are making us go beyond our apple-ish analyses and try to get to a point
where we can grasp what he is saying without TRYING. I know that this is
completely tangential, but when the woman in the elevator looks at Seymour's
feet, we don't need to think, 'oh, there's a symbol'...we need to FEEL it
(like what Will was saying). Haven't you ever felt like someone was staring
at something about you for no reason? Or have you ever sat next to a person
who smells like fabric softener or nice perfume and it's so overwhelming and
delicious that you just want to turn to them and tell them they smell great
and ask what brand they use? Seymour is giving this woman an opportunity to
do that. No matter how many elevators I have been in, I always feel
awkward, and Seymour is breaking the awkwardness by being REAL and FRANK
regardless of societal codes. He gives the lady an outlet to say how she is
feeling, and she fails the test. Salinger isn't always about the
technicalities of speech or thought, but FEELING and PSYCHOLOGY too. Oh
phooey, I completely lost track of myself. I guess I drifted toward Will's
comment, which, by the way Will, was very inspirational, not to mention
extremely articulate and thoughtful. I'm out.
-Micaela
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-bananafish@roughdraft.org
[mailto:owner-bananafish@roughdraft.org]On Behalf Of Jaime Stallard
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 8:02 PM
To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
Subject: Re: Reference to JDS by Paul Thomas Anderson
I completely agree with you - I can identify with Holden in ways that I
could never identify with Seymour or even Franny or Zooey. I love Holden and
I will always be partial to him. He'll always be my favorite.
----Jaime
----- Original Message -----
From: "L. Manning Vines" <lmanningvines@hotmail.com>
To: <bananafish@roughdraft.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 1:15 PM
Subject: RE: Reference to JDS by Paul Thomas Anderson
> Micaela said:
> << As wonderful as Catcher is, I feel that it is much less
> idiosyncratic than F&Z and 9 Stories. Holden is more of a general
character
> with "problems" that most people relate to (although none the less
brilliant
> for it). >>
>
> I may be alone with Scottie on this, but I think Catcher is all the MORE
> brilliant for it. Holden is a human we can all know; Franny, Zooey,
Seymour
> and company are freaks. I enjoy the Glass stories (well, not Hapworth)
very
> much, even Seymour: An Introduction. But I think that, perhaps with a few
> exceptions, they aren't comparable to Catcher.
>
> -robbie
> -
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