Re: why?
WILL HOCHMAN (hochman@uscolo.edu)
Mon, 02 Nov 1998 17:29:43 -0700 (MST)
Teaching Salinger texts is a joy--there's no other literature I would
want to work with more. But I will admit that Nocooola's concern was most
evident for me when I was writing my dissertation. I kept heart by
knowing what Salinger was teaching me was not going to be part of my
"defense" but life, and that by learning life lessons I could tolerate the
school stuff...Your question is a good one but it goes beyond Salinger.
Making anything one loves part of one's livlihood will change the
love...in my case, my students mostly give me such a full sense of reading
and enjoying Salinger texts and don't seem overly poisoned by the academic
values I support. But I'm the teacher, what do I know?
However, if you watched how Akemi worked with folks on this list to unpack
"Eskimos," you saw the kind of work we do in class in action...btw, thanks
to all who contribute to this list and my class...just thanks because I
think we all know what we read in Salinger gets golden on this list in one
way or another, will
On Mon, 2 Nov 1998, nicolaaaaaa wrote:
> dear will,
> i think i am about to ask a stupid question.... this is addressed to
> everyone really. at first i didn't
> understsnd how people were "in your class", stupidly, but now i do
> and i just have to ask...
> i never really thought about salinger as a text to be taught,
> until now... i think i would hate to have to study TCIR, and
> particularly F&Z... do you never get disillusioned with analysing
> salinger? as an english student i am quite probably missing the point
> completely, and i am beginning to wonder why the hell i even chose
> this course when even picking apart something i am indifferent to like
> "the lifted veil" seems so much
> more pointless than just READING it. i just hate the idea of writing
> essays on Salinger's narr. style, language etc etc. and am thinking
> maybe i have no business being here, studying what i am studying,
> when it appears i have no insight into the subject at all. i used to
> love english, but now it all seems to be going belly-up...
> please someone write back and shoot even just a tiny bit of wisdom my
> way...
> confused,
> nicola
>