Re: BANANAFISH digest 121
WILL HOCHMAN (hochman@uscolo.edu)
Thu, 09 Oct 1997 18:40:14 -0600 (MDT)
andrew, i celebrate you as a wise and fair reader, will
On Thu, 9 Oct 1997, Andrew Youn wrote:
> There were some comments about whether or not we should tear apart
> Salinger's work. I am still a bit undecided.
>
> On one hand, I think the only really "pure" way to enjoy a piece of
> fiction is to take it as it is, to get wrapped up in it like it's another
> little world, and the best writers are utterly convincing in that respect,
> so that when the story ends, it takes you a second to readjust and you
> realize that you've been holding your breath. It sounds really sappy, but
> that's what I like so much about Salinger, all the little details and the
> endearing characters (I don't even think of them as characters but more as
> real people) that he has.
>
> On the other hand, I can't say that it is less legitimate to discuss your
> interpretation of his work with other people, since it is so significant.
> Somehow, I just think that discussion and analysis takes something away
> from that hold-your-breath kind of absorption that his work offers.
>
> Hey, I just got an unrelated but cool thought. I've heard that he's been
> writing for the last 20 years. Just imagine all those stories sitting
> there. Whatever his reasons for not publishing them, I hope I get to see
> them in my lifetime.
>
>