One of my favorites. There's gems around every corner.
When Zooey is talking about the depressing mediocrity of the scripts he reads, and he says, "I wish to hell everyone would go home."
He's talking about a specific screenwriter there, one who was born in the country and whose first script was fresh, new and actually revealed a lot about the human condition. However, the screenwriter had been in NYC a while, and now latched on to whatever trend was going around. His writing became stale.
I always felt Salinger meant we all needed to go home to our real experiences and draw from them to create art. I think it's more relevant now than ever. So much of what I read is a critique of what others have said, repeated over and over until it's reduced to brain mush.
“You don’t just despise what they represent,” says Zooey. “You despise them.” One can’t take Jesus’s name on the lips if one hates one’s neighbor in the heart... Spirituality with the right motives can lift our burdens, but with wrong motives it can assault our souls.
I had to copy and paste the above to reinforce it in my brain-- it's wonderful.
FWIW: The Wall St Journal has a "5 Best (Books)" feature on different topics. "Franny and Zooey" was included in the 5 for "Brothers and Sisters."
"One can’t take Jesus’s name on the lips if one hates one’s neighbor in the heart." Wow - that hits hard.
It sounds like Seymour helps Zooey "see more" of what we are called to do if we truly care about those around us. (Sorry, couldn't resist!)
Nice pun! It’s a very deep novel in a lot of ways. It’s almost all dialogue, and yet there’s a ton left unsaid. It draws you in.
One of my favorites. There's gems around every corner.
When Zooey is talking about the depressing mediocrity of the scripts he reads, and he says, "I wish to hell everyone would go home."
He's talking about a specific screenwriter there, one who was born in the country and whose first script was fresh, new and actually revealed a lot about the human condition. However, the screenwriter had been in NYC a while, and now latched on to whatever trend was going around. His writing became stale.
I always felt Salinger meant we all needed to go home to our real experiences and draw from them to create art. I think it's more relevant now than ever. So much of what I read is a critique of what others have said, repeated over and over until it's reduced to brain mush.
Thanks for the review.
I love this book but haven’t read it for years. Thanks for the nudge
Absolutely! I had no clue what to expect but really enjoyed it.
My daughter keeps insisting I read this. Thank you for the review!
But how do you pronounce ‘Zooey’?
My pleasure!
And it’s a reasonable question. This is apparently the answer: https://slate.com/culture/2010/02/franny-and-who-ey.html
Ah ha! Thanks!
Reading it now…
When I think of the Jesus prayer in Franny and Zooey, I also think of Sebastian Flyte in the desert monastery at the end of Brideshead.
Although, in truth, the characters in Brideshead were much more interesting and far less annoying than the Glass family.
“You don’t just despise what they represent,” says Zooey. “You despise them.” One can’t take Jesus’s name on the lips if one hates one’s neighbor in the heart... Spirituality with the right motives can lift our burdens, but with wrong motives it can assault our souls.
I had to copy and paste the above to reinforce it in my brain-- it's wonderful.
FWIW: The Wall St Journal has a "5 Best (Books)" feature on different topics. "Franny and Zooey" was included in the 5 for "Brothers and Sisters."
Great post, thanks.