Subject: Re: It's War!
From: Tim O'Connor (tim@roughdraft.org)
Date: Sat Sep 23 2000 - 17:51:30 GMT
At 4:23 PM -0700 on 9/23/2000, Scout wrote:
> Of course Holden seems passe when you read him at age 11. I
> think that's a big reason there's so many atheists. Jesus Christ
> himself gets a bit boring after being shoved down your throat
> your entire life, particularly if you look at him from the
> perspective of protagonist.
>
> This isn't to say its an exclusive case with you, Matt. I'm
> saying I agree- because now Catcher seems passe, and F+Z
> seems "done," etc. I mean not in such a blatant manner at all.
> I'm just wondering why that's happened to either of us.
Sometimes I can barely speak for myself, so I of course cannot speak
for anyone else on this subject, and can only say that while my
interest in ANYTHING waxes and wanes, I have always felt a tender and
fond place for Holden in my life, even though I read Catcher when I
was in my teens. (For the record, I similarly have good feelings
about music of the period, and have not dismissed that, either.)
Granted, I as a *writer* find myself sometimes irritated by
Salinger's mannerisms in the Buddy Glass narratives, but I as a
*reader* am still enchanted by what he has to say.
I can see why one might lose patience with a favorite writer or a
favorite work. But that hasn't happened for me; I can't speculate on
why it happened to you. The one thing I have noticed (though I
suspect it has to do with other influences, not on my feelings about
the work or the author, influences that have silenced me in many
ways) is that I am not nearly as vocal about his work as I used to be
-- hence my lack of participation here. I read every post, but I
don't feel as capable of responding to posts as I once felt.
I hasten to add that I don't feel one bit influenced by the
extracurricular activity that has surrounded the publication of the
book by his daughter, a story that made me feel very sad and lonely.
Sad for her, sad for the rest of us. It is not a story that
surprises me (I would have been shocked to hear that a reclusive,
troubled writer turned out to be a scintillating family man), but
still it is barren and lonesome, and it reminds me of the correctness
in the vow I myself took a long time ago never to be a parent. I'm
afraid I'd do just as lousy a job parenting.
--tim
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