Re: BANANAFISH digest 120

Tim O'Connor (tim@roughdraft.org)
Wed, 08 Oct 1997 23:17:10 -0500

> But my point is: Salinger doesn't like us talking about Salinger. I don't
> either, in a way, I think that his writing is strictly to be enjoyed and
> not ripped apart. This disturbs me. Thoughts?

I'm not much for dry analysis.  What I most enjoy about this list -- in
addition to the genuinely new insights our wide range of readers offer --
is that it gives us the chance to see new people approach a writer
previously unknown to them, and to be part of a larger community of like-
(and sometimes quite unlike-) minded readers.

In a sense, this list is for every new reader who comes along and wonders
why Seymour puts an end to himself and to "A Perfect Day for Bananafish."
It's for every confused person who doesn't know why he or she is involved
romantically with a self-absorbed "section man."  It's for everyone who has
had the high privilege of close family, and for the rest of us who wish we
had such family ties.  It's for everyone who wonders why "The Laughing Man"
ends as it ends, and why its romance draws to an ambiguous conclusion.

The list even acts as a place where someone can raise, and get a handful of
answers to, the question, "Which book should I start with?"

I think most of us are amateur readers of one type or another, and the
professional readers among us are entirely gracious and generous when they
share what they have learned.  It's a funny kind of community ... and what
sometimes amazes me is that it is indeed some kind of odd and likeable
community, most of the time.  And for every ripping apart, a dozen sewing
needles are offered to mend the tear.

While Salinger might prefer that his work remain undiscussed, I suspect
that even he knows it will not remain so.  And of all the people with whom
I've discussed Salinger's work, this group has been the most satisfying and
rewarding -- even in its bad moments.

Cheers!

--tim o'connor