Dave, Have you read "The man in the grey flannel suit"? This might have = the style you are referring to, and a very good book in my opinion. Patti >>> Dave Koch <dkoch@sas.upenn.edu> 11/06 6:36 AM >>> Hello everyone -- I just finished reading _The Bell Jar_ for the first time (some things you just never get around to reading for one reason or another, even though = you know you should, and once you finally *do* get around to reading them you walk around for weeks, or I do, at least, kicking yourself for not having read them earlier). I loved it, a big, opened arms, carry it around in my back pocket kind of love -- but not for any good, *legitimate* reason = (like the plot and what it has got to say about the human condition, &c). I did like it for all those legitimate reasons, but I sort of fell in love with it for its style, its voice, and all that. And, dare I say it here, I thought the whole time I was reading it that it was very very Salinger in = a way (no, of course, not as good, but very similar nonetheless). Here are my questions for the group: First, I've come to the shaky conclusion that there's something very 1950s about this style (or voice) that I'm talking about, and I can't really put my finger on it at all. Since you all are always so articulate and witty and informative, I was wondering if any of you could sort of explain this to me. (I've been walking around for a month or so with this sort of soothing hatred of John Glenn building in the pit of my stomach and then the NYT articulated exactly why in an editorial last week; I hope the same kind of thing will happen here, too.) And, number two, what other books (not necessarily written in the 50s, of course) have this 1950s style that I'm talking about here (but can't explain)? -- Dave Koch