ἴψοι δὴ τὸ μέλαθρον ἀέρρετε τέκτονες ἄνδρες

[sovay]

So. J.D. Salinger. He was not one of my early imprints; he was not a favorite of mine in college; he was a piece of the landscape and I'm sorry he's gone, although anyone has an excuse at ninety-one. The timing was appropriate, in a hindsight-only way—a panel Eric moderated at Arisia left me wanting to re-read the Glass family stories, which were my introduction to Salinger rather than The Catcher in the Rye, although like everyone else in this country I read the novel in ninth or tenth grade. (He was not my first encounter with profanity in fiction, either. That was Ursula K. Le Guin.) I liked the titles he gave his stories, like paintings. The Onion had the best last word, so what I've got is songs.

Belle & Sebastian, "Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie"

Wouldn't you like to get away?
Give yourself up to the allure of Catcher in the Rye?

PJ Harvey, "Angelene"

Rose is my color and white
Pretty mouth and green my eyes

PJ Harvey, "A Perfect Day, Elise"

He got burned by the sun
His face so pale and his hands so worn

Amanda Palmer, "1.1.94"

There is still time—we could still try
It's very difficult when no one's there to catch you in the rye

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

For some reason the song I think of to go with Catcher in the Rye (which, actually, I didn't like, but I like the image of the catcher in the rye) is Sting's "Fields of Gold,", which is about barley, not rye....

[sovay]

is Sting's "Fields of Gold,", which is about barley, not rye....

It's a good song. It's fair game.

[kraada.livejournal.com]

although like everyone else in this country I read the novel in ninth or tenth grade

I've never read it - it's vaguely possible we missed it in 8th grade English that we skipped, though I suspect more likely is that I'm actually from another planet . . .

[sovay]

I've never read it - it's vaguely possible we missed it in 8th grade English that we skipped, though I suspect more likely is that I'm actually from another planet . . .

I don't think we were assigned it. I can't remember writing a single paper or even a pop quiz that had to do with Salinger or Holden Caulfield. I think I just read the novel when I was around that age.

Don't be scared of the books you read...

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite Belle & Sebastian songs. I have been off them for a long time, but it might be high time to revisit them.

Salinger was one of those guys; he is in a whole lot of people since him who write, if just a little. I got him through other places (I didn't read the book in question until rather shockingly late in life. I dodged it in high school, somehow) but I got him, anyway. I'm kind of upset to note nihilistic_kid's observation that a lot of SF writers have been kind of beastly to him. That's unfortunate.

[sovay]

One of my favorite Belle & Sebastian songs. I have been off them for a long time, but it might be high time to revisit them.

This is one of two songs I know by them. The other is "Like Dylan in the Movies." I take it you recommend the rest.

I'm kind of upset to note nihilistic_kid's observation that a lot of SF writers have been kind of beastly to him. That's unfortunate.

I hadn't realized that was the case. Is he seen somehow as the exemplar of mainstream literature? I would have thought removing himself from said mainstream, nay, the entire concept of publishing, for the last forty years would have given him some kind of outsider cachet.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

You have two of my favorite of their songs, then. I need to upload some of their albums and I'll send you some more.

As for the SF response to Salinger, I have a couple of really half-baked hypotheses. One of them relates to what you were saying about him being a mainstream exemplar (despite, yeah, 40 years of not being in the mainstream) and it relates to the bad inferiority complex a lot of SF authors seem to have. The other is that SF, in general, and this one is less formed than the first, likes heroes, and Holden Caulfield ain't.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

As for the SF response to Salinger, I have a couple of really half-baked hypotheses.

I actually think those are pretty reasonable hypotheses, for whatever it's worth. Especially the first one.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

although like everyone else in this country I read the novel in ninth or tenth grade

I never had it assigned at school, actually. I tried to read it a few years back, and got so irritated with Holden Caulfield that I couldn't finish it.

I think I maybe should have read the Glass family stories instead--a couple of my friends have said they're better than The Catcher in the Rye.

[sovay]

I think I maybe should have read the Glass family stories instead--a couple of my friends have said they're better than The Catcher in the Rye.

You want Nine Stories (1953), Franny and Zooey (1961), Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters & Seymour: An Introduction (1963). I think there may be some uncollected stories, but I have no idea where or how to find them. And then I would recommend trying The Catcher in the Rye again; it may no longer be edgy or contemporary, but I think it deserves its place in the field as more than a historical artifact.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I'll give those a try at some point. Edgy and contemporary (or lack thereof) weren't so much my problem with Caulfield; he struck me as a tiresome little hypocrite and I didn't want to spend another moment with him. I was probably in a particularly bad humour at the time, and perhaps I'll be better able to thole reading him now.