RE: First Catcher memories?
WILL HOCHMAN (hochman@uscolo.edu)
Tue, 25 Nov 1997 08:17:37 -0700 (MST)
Hi mike, you raise some fine points so I'm going to go into yours to dance
with your salinger muse...
On Mon, 24 Nov 1997, Mike Hurben wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Another new member here. I read CITR first around 17 years of age. What
> I find interesting is the following: I always used to reread sections
> of this book more than others, and over the years, those sections have changed.
> (I'm 31 now). When I was younger, my favorite parts were at the beginning,
> esp. involving Ackley. I used to regard the end of the book as not quite so
> interesting. But as I reread it, I am more fascinated with the end. It has taken
> taken me this long to fully realize that Holden undergoes some transformation
> suddenly at the end of the book. I am still waiting to undergo this myself.
> I still identify with the young Holden. I'm still disgusted with the
> falseness of the "real world."
>
My guess is that when jds was writing catcher he was bouncing between
short story and novel writing--I've just finished teaching catcher and
realized that if I write about the book, I would be better off going
chapter by chapter since there are so many gems tucked away in the
enduring narrative of questing adolescence...
> It also may seem strange, but I never got around to any other Salinger
> works until about a month ago. I just finished all 3 of the other books,
> and I loved every minute. Reading Salinger is practically a religous
> experience any more for me. I just wish I could call old Buddy or Zooey
> up on the phone.
>
welcome to the glass family, brother.
> As an aside, has anyone seen "Random Harvest" - which I beleive is the
> film which Holden describes with everyone laughing their asses off at
> a table? I am really curious to see if it is as bad bad as Holden describes.
>
It's not that bad a film but hammet's book is much better.
> Also, is it a coincide that "Caulfield" is somehow related to David
> Copperfield who was born with a caul?
>
I'm forgettting which critic first alerted me to the connection, but since
then I've read catcher as holden coming out of his caul...I think if you
consider how a caul works, holden's story fits as part of the myth...
> -Mike
>
I'm glad you are on the list--your reading insights are provocative,
will