RE: Salinger's Problem with Westerners?

My reply was not directed at anyone (and not Jim, thanks for the reply) just
my experience with formal criticism in general. My reply was meant merely
to "cast my vote" on the subject of critics and the list. I don't think
the list exhibits traits of the 'specialized critic'. My experience with
formal (academic) criticism has been negative as measured by usefulness to
me understanding literature from two points of view a.)the meaning I get
based on my experience. and b.) the meaning the writer intended regardless
of my experience. I find there is no help required for the first and good
dialogue is helpful for the second hence this list. Being a technical
person, I appreciate the sentiment in the article; not it's details but
sentiment. Technicians tend to value things based directly on their utility,
at least I do, and I didn't find my experience with Academic criticism
useful. What is a critics job? I am not sure and that is the beginning of
sorrows not irritation with it all.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Rovira [mailto:jrovira@drew.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 11:51 AM
To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
Subject: Re: Salinger's Problem with Westerners?

Wait...when did either John or myself do this:

    <<Yocum & Patrick sound a good deal more serious about books
    than I ever was. But to consign the three of us, & our like,
    implicitly, to the ranks of the knuckle-trailers is a teenshy,
    TEENSHY, weenchy bit - dare I say it ? - arrogant.

    Scottie B.>>

At what point were denigrating comments made about either Daniel or yourself
or either of your ability to understand literature?

I think understanding where this comment comes from (and why it would be
made
so out of the blue) would probably take us a long way toward understanding
the real source of the attitudes in the article.

Jim

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Received on Wed Oct 23 15:59:20 2002