Read Franny and Zooey
story?, sacred self December 28th, 2007
Yes, I know it’s 40 years old and yes, Catcher in the Rye is more famous. But, man.
I hadn’t read this duo of stories since my freshman year of college and my worldview has changed considerably in the years. When before I appreciated the character studies and the perfect portray of phony English department types, this read let me bask in Salinger’s search for the sacred.
In the story, Franny is having a nervous breakdown of sorts after reading The Way of a Pilgrim. There’s great talk about the Jesus prayer, which Jesus one prays to and religious education.
Go spend 5.95 and get Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. You won’t regret it.
January 14th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Man, I hated Franny and Zooey at the time, and didn’t think much of Cather, either, and couldn’t understand why Thomas Pynchon, my English teacher (not the writer, I don’t think) raved over him.
Maybe I was a stodgy adolescent at the time. I thought Moby Dick was too long, too, but rereading it as an adult, I liked it better. Perhaps I’ll try weird old J.D. again, especially if he writes about The Way of a Pilgrim, which I do recommend.
January 14th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
I meant Catcher, of course, In the Rye, not (Willa) Cather, about whom I express no opinion.