RE: How to avoid phoniness
Sean Draine (seandr@microsoft.com)
Mon, 12 Oct 1998 11:02:08 -0700
>From my reading of both "Franny" and "Zooey", Salinger targets a specific
kind of intellection, one that simply goes through whatever motions are
currently fashionable within the academic scene. Inevitably, when
intellection is reduced to processes and institutions, as it has been by
academia, you end up with a bunch of lousy term papers and journal articles.
Even the A+ papers and the flagship articles (especially those!) are too
smooth in texture, too processed, like so much Velveeta. No wonder Franny
lost her appetite!
Recall that glorious first paragraph of "Franny", in which a bunch of
college boys hold forth on world issues as though everyone else had been
"bungling" them for years. Funny!
Any work that aspires to beauty must transcend academic provincialism.
-Sean
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Camille Scaysbrook [mailto:verona_beach@geocities.com]
> Sent: Sunday, October 11, 1998 6:07 PM
> To: bananafish@lists.nyu.edu
> Subject: Re: How to avoid phoniness
>
>
> I think that what Salinger is reacting against in `Franny' is
> simply the
> over-intellectualising of things. I definitely think that
> there is a time
> and place for intellectualisation, but each and every day I
> want to bash at
> least one person at my university over the head with a
> largish edition of
> `War and Peace' when they come up with some hopelessly arty
> farty sentiment
> or another. I did a course on Modernism last semester that
> was a humdinger
> for this sort of thing. When one student remarked she `could
> hardly believe
> it' when she saw the real Mona Lisa, another student said, in all
> seriousness `Is that true? So you could not physically
> believe in what you
> were seeing. Why is this?' PLEASE! The thing that maddened me
> about this
> course was that although it was about art we barely even saw
> a single piece
> of artwork! The *real* icing on the cake was when I got my final essay
> marked and was given a poor mark for - oh NO! - voicing my
> own opinion,
> because, and I quote, `your own opinions are no substitute for serious
> engagement in academic literature'!
>
> THIS is the sort of thing I think Salinger rails against -
> after all, he
> himself only lasted 2 semesters at college - the idea that thought is
> simply a series of predestined processes which you only need
> follow to have
> academic success. Salinger, I believe, writes not necessarily for the
> intellectual (although I think intellectual thought on Salinger is
> thoroughly enlightening and imperative) but that little
> bespectacled person
> we all talk about, the amateur reader. I think Salinger wants
> us to know
> that you don't necessarily need a college degree to enjoy his books.
>
> As I've said before, I think the ideal academic is one who thinks and
> intellectualises 50% of the time, and emotes and follows
> his/her instincts
> the other 50%.
>
> Camille
> verona_beach@geocities.com
> @ THE ARTS HOLE www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/6442
> @ THE INVERTED FOREST www.angelfire.com/pa/invertedforest
>
> > I don't think teachers in general and "section men" are equivalent,
> > either. As I read "Franny", her conception of a section man seems
> > to be someone who forces ideas down the students' throats, and who
> > automatically assumes that any deviation from his own interpretation
> > of the texts is either flawed or totally wrong. They present their
> > own arguments, refusing to admit that they might themselves be less
> > than complete, with the attitude that their thoughts and opinions
> > cannot possibly be fallible. I would argue (and I would hope Franny
> > would as well) that a _good_ teacher of literature would certainly
> > present plausible interpretations of the texts, but also encourages
> > the students to think about the texts further, instead of merely
> > accepting those opinions as gospel. I also enjoyed reading French's
> > books on Salinger, and precisely because he was presenting his
> > arguments without ruling out alternatives. Perhaps it was only
> > because he was "lecturing" from a book that he did not
> cross the line
> > into becoming a section man; he had no opportunity to strike down
> > any of the arguments that followed from or countered his own. The
> > experience of reading French's books is analogous to the "good"
> > model, in that the presentation was thought-provoking, not a
> > pronouncement from on high. I did not mean to say that all English
> > teachers are section men, and I don't think Franny would have
> > either. I only referred to the difference between a teacher who
> > presents arguments to elicit critical thought, and a section man
> > who lectures on his own opinions to the exclusion of all others,
> > as if all he knows is all we need to know.
> >
> >
> > At 10:02 10/09/98 -0600, Will wrote:
> > >Dar Pasha,
> > >
> > >I don't need Franny to tell me who I am...but yes, if
> "section man" is
> > >part of what I do, then believe it or not, I'm not the least bit
> > >horrified if my "section man" work amounts to more intelligence.
> > >
> > >I have both MFA and PhD degrees but more than any degree
> has taught me,
> I
> > >know that reading gives me good ideas. Mr. Salinger's
> work has given me
> > >much and yet I don't believe his approach to "section men"
> (or section
> > >women!) is acceptable. I've learned a lot from "section men" like
> Warren
> > >French and John Wenke about Mr. Salinger's writing. Their
> ideas and
> > >others have made my reading experiences richer.
> > >
> > >I very much respect how this list is not centered with
> "section men"
> > >thinking, but since I've honestly and fairly tried to learn about
> > >Salinger's fiction, I find nothing at all horrific about
> Franny's voice
> > >and know it's part of what has shaped my work.
> > >
> > >will
> > >
> > >On Fri, 9 Oct 1998, Pasha Paterson wrote:
> > >
> > >> At 16:11 10/08/98 -0600, Will Hochman wrote:
> > >> >before you give me your "come, come" tell me if you've
> read Geofrey
> > >> >Hartman's _Criticism in the Wilderness_...as for corrupting the
> young, I'm
> > >> >a teacher, what do you expect me to do?
> > >>
> > >> Have you ever been sitting in class talking about
> Salinger's works and
> > >> suddenly had the horrifying experience of Franny's voice
> whispering
> > >> the words "section man"? I would hope not.
> >
> > ________________________________________________________
> >
> > G.H.G.A.Paterson (804)662-3737 gpaterso@richmond.edu
> > ________________________________________________________
>