Re: First Catcher memories?
ditz (helenak@geocities.com)
Mon, 24 Nov 1997 16:28:10 +0000
> Who on this list hasn't experienced
> the precious spiritual hypochondria of Zooey, or recognized the
> pseudo-intellectual nature of Lanes all over their respective Ivory Tower,
> or striven for the seemingly pan-optic perspective of Zooey? How many of
> you could continue reading Nine Stories immediately after Bananafish?
> We've all read Dos Passos and Dostoevsky, Kafka, and Kerouac, and yet
> while nobody questions their greatness, Salinger has given a certain breed
> an incredible gift.
Dear Dan,
At the moment, I am quite peeved with you, but I shall restrain myself
from any vitriol on hate-filled diatribe. I think I'll just point out
exactly why I'm very fucking annoyed, and leave it at that.
I don't like the way you've put all of the subscribers to the Bananafish
list in a box, as though we were some club, some kind of sacred Church
of Salinger that speaks a special language and has Borg-like communal
thought.
How dare you assume that we have all 'experienced', 'recognised' and
'striven for' the same things? What I personally love about this list
is that everyone has reacted differently to Salingers stories. We
disagree with each other, point out things that we haven't noticed
before, and have wildly varying views on Alanis Morisette. It doesn't
take a particular 'type' to appreciate Salinger. For example, I would
class you as a 'Condesceding Bastard', and Tim as an 'Obliging Polite
Guy'. Completely different 'types', but you both appreciate Salinger.
Funny, that.
The beauty of Salinger isn't that his work speaks out to an elitist crew
of Chosen Ones. It's that his characters are so powerful and well drawn
that the most wildly opposing personalities can identify with them.
--
:helena
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/4801/