stuff to do

I only took one English class at university, it was a short fiction class, but we didn't discuss any of Salinger's work. So I was pretty excited when I stumbled across this lecture. I'm quick to poke fun at the uselessness of the internet and television, but then something like this pops up. I promise this will be the last post about Franny and Zooey, maybe. Probably not. An interesting lecture to say the least. Grab some tea and a good snack.

best parents ever

So at dinner tonight, my parents handed me this book and that first edition Franny and Zooey I was pining over. Amazing. I was nervous just holding the books. 

I would've scanned the Franny&Zooey but I didn't want to bend the spine. I'm really excited to read these stories, I haven't read them before. It's such a treat to be able to see the trajectory of an author through unpublished work. I'm not sure if anyone has ever captured feeling lost in the world much better than Salinger and for my money there isn't better dialogue out there. For me, reading Salinger's work was a watershed moment. The ease it seemed to be written with, the pathos that his characters engender, all made me want to read more. Not just of his work, but more books in general. 

Anyways, to sum it all up; I don't deserve my parents. Good birthday for sure. 

nice books

I always love inspecting people's bookshelves. It's like stepping into their brain. Here are just a few of my favorite reads. 

My b.a. advisor J.Z. Smith introduced me to Ernst Cassirer my second year at chicago and I was a fan ever since. I spent a lot of time with The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms vol.2  in 2004. 

W.E.B. Du Bois was probably one of the smartest americans ever. If you are over 15 and haven't at least skimmed this book, shame on you. 

Franny and Zooey will always have a special place in my heart. I love the way Salinger described people and situations. I don't think dialogue gets much better either.  The Glass family has enthralled me for my entire life. I am nearly 27 years old and I still want to marry Franny Glass and smoke cigarettes in the bathtub like Zooey. 

Salinger is also probably one of the reasons I didn't get into Northwestern too. At least if you ask me. I blew my admissions interview. Hardcore. I had an interview with the head of admissions at Northwestern. He asked me who my favorite authors were. I replied "Salinger, Thompson Greene, and London." He said, "And your favorite amongst them?" "Salinger", I said quickly and confidently. "Isn't that a bit obvious?" he asked. 

It was at this point that I asked him who his favorite author was. It was Melville and Moby Dick. I told him that that it was funny that a middle-aged man's favorite book was  about a self-destructive quest for the unattainable. Then I told him Bartelby, the Scrivener was a better story. Needless to say, I got the little envelope from Evanston, Illinois. 

Franny and Zooey is also why I read the last book in this group. The Way of a Pilgrim. It's about a pilgrim who endeavors to learn how to pray incessantly and what his journeys teach him. Franny reads it in the novel and when I found out it was a real book, I could not resist. It's kind of tough to get through, but it is pretty interesting and is sort of a must read for Salinger fans, no?

Spring is coming. Grab a book and go read outside. I heard girls like guys who can read.