52 Books in 52 Weeks, it's called. The challenge is simple: read a book every week for a year.
39. Franny and Zooey.
my notes from readernaut (mostly) adequately sum up my thoughts:
1. the incredible list of items in the medicine cabinet. the self-consciously bad television script. the “verbal stunt pilot” bit where zooey impersonates buddy from buddy’s phone in buddy’s room. the abrupt sideline into buddhist quotes on the back of the door. franny’s evident self-awareness vs. lane’s lack of same. the audacity of making the glass family brilliant, eccentric and good looking. buddy’s first person/third person introductory gymnastics. the haunting presence of seymour and the de facto haunting presence of buddy over everything. the debatable point(s?) of it all.
2. this book is an entirely different read, post-wes-anderson.
and, i’ll add this: “…don’t you know who that Fat Lady really is? … Ah, buddy. Ah, buddy. It’s Christ Himself. Christ Himself, buddy.”
It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve read this (or any Salinger.)
I think I’ll move it over to my “To Read” shelf to see how it looks to more properly adult (or finally post-adolescent) eyes.
Grant Wentzel. June 25th. 2009. 8:17 am.