those tiny little things that make it all worthwhile.

craig king (craig.king@cwcom.net)
Mon, 14 Sep 1998 17:27:30 +0100

hello hello . . .

apart from the theories of interpretation i've been enjoying reading, 
something else occured to me. less academic but valid. clearly we 
all love salinger. hell, if we didn't we wouldn't be here. the peculiar 
thing about salinger for me, is that when i think about franny i think 
about martinis, when i think about zooey i think about that 
splendidly ugly shower curtain. it's more than a meticulous 
attention to detail, for me, it's that they remain as vivid in my mind 
as the words these characters speak. more than any other of my 
favourite writers (pynchon, ballard, kerouac, etc.) salinger seems to 
capture the intense pleasure of the object. as object. not as 
symbol, metaphor, etc. but as object. in all its integrity. numerous 
ideas fall into place as i write concerning this object-love of mine 
but i'm interested to see if any one else is interested. if not, never 
mind. if so, do tell, as it is the peculiar sharpness of image i see 
when thinking about salinger that makes me love him, in the end, 
more than most other scribes. i've always enjoyed lengthy 
discussions of theory but i also believe that there's much 
substance in those intangibles that bind an author to a reader. for 
me, it's those tricky, can't-quite-place-the-why moments that make 
salinger who he is. well, what he is, perhaps. as for who he is? like 
lord lucan with a pen . . .

hope for a response,

craig king