Re: Teddy: an abstract
Thor Cameron (my_colours@hotmail.com)
Wed, 26 May 1999 10:29:36 -0700 (PDT)
Just started Hapworth, though I've owned it for about 9 months.
I'll comment on that later, but, yes, both Smith and Teddy are strange,
unbelievable characters placed there to make their points by way of extreme
juxtaposition.
Thor
>See, in the case of both Valentine Michael Smith and Teddy some
>explanation for the character's unusal capacities is given early on.
>Teddy is so remarkable he's being interviewed by panels of psycholgists.
>VMS has been raised by Martians :) We have some credible reason to
>accept these heightened characters. I just didn't see that in Hapworth.
>
>Jim
>
>On Mon, 24 May 1999 20:29:43 -0700 (PDT) Thor Cameron
><my_colours@hotmail.com> writes:
> >OK, let's try & move on beyond the "smart" concept.
> >
> >This occured to me while I was at work, so I'll lay it out & see who
> >can
> >hang with me.
> >
> >No, I do not believe Teddy is a real person. My suspension of
> >disbelief
> >isn't THAT strong.
> >
> >I don't believe Valentine Michael Smith from Stranger in a Strange
> >land,
> >either, yet it's one of my favourite five books.
> >
> >Why? Because a character doesn't have to be real to say something
> >real.
> >We'd expect this behavior from a Fakir or ancient swami, but a kid?
> >
> >Salinger made it unbelievable so that it could be believed in a
> >real-world
> >context. You with me here?
> >
> >Teddy isn't a character, he's a caricature, with a point.
> >
> >Thor
> >
> >
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