First things first, and second, and third.

I just subscribed to this list, so I guess it's my duty to introduce myself.

I'm 18, from East County (ie, the Asshole) of San diego, but am attending a private Catholic university (tuition, room and board all paid) in Queens. I dont fit in at all.

I had a few friends who were into Salinger before I had to read it for school. The friends weren't good friends, though, and to be honest, I didn't respect them much. When I began, I hated "Catcher," not due mostly, but surely at least in small part, to the relationship these acquaintenances had with it. I thoroughly despised the book. By the end I was much in love. I began reading it again, but got caught up in other things. Haven't looked at it for years, and it's back home. I read "9 Stories" and "Franny and Zooey" a fair while back. Just recently -- within the past week -- I read "Raise High and Seymour." One time through the curriculum, so I'm surely just an amateur, which in many ways is all I want to be. I never want to love Salinger; I just want to love his work. Diffuclt line to toe, sometimes, though.

This may be extraneous, but when I was just learning to read, I would look at all the books I saw in the grocery stores and other places. I couldn't wait until I could read all of them. I read "Jurassic Park" in third grade. I read a pretty damned lot. By about 5th grade, I'd all but quit. I felt disillusioned with literature, that most of it was crap. Reading in school didn't help -- I wanted to puke when I read Steinbeck. I loved some books, but they were few and far in between (Solder of the Great War, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Childhood's End). Salinger, though is work is obviously easy enough for a number of dumb teenagers to read, has me and many others hooked... I guess because we, the readers, can connect on so many levels.

Sorry, but I'll try to get back on task. I've begun scouring the microfiche archives -- at my school, I found "Slight Rebellion on Madison" and "Hapworth 16, 1924," printed them, and have been diligently and meticulously typing out every character. Hopefully I'll be able to find more in other libraries in New York, as I dont know how to get my hands on (just to read) a copy of the rare 22 Stories.

Well, if you've managed to wade through all that garbage, I've got two questions about recent Salinger readings. 1) In "Seymour," what does Seymour mean when he is advising Buddy to get "all his stars out"? Is there a definitive answer anyone can give? If not, how do you, my fellow Salinger enthusiasts, interpret it? 2) I'm not sure this appears much, but I think it appeared in "Seymour," and I know it has appeared at least a few times so far in "Hapworth," but what is the meaning of Buddy being said to be 5 years old, Seymour 7? Does this have something to do with the number of appearances they are suppposed to have had, linked with the eastern philosophy that has obviously had some influence? Actually, any comments on their eastern influence would be appreciated.

Now I'm late for my philosophy class, so I must speed along... I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Thanks.

--david

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