I mean not try to analyze everything to death for once, if possible, especially me. I love you.
If, like me, you love dialogues & smart arguments you will probably enjoy Franny and Zooey, although they aren’t the most sympathetic characters and I found them rather annoying.
The story originally appeared in The New Yorker magazine and was first published in book form in 1961.
The book is made of two parts, the first focuses on Franny Glass, the younger sister, who is in the middle of an existential crisis. Franny is sick of everybody that wants to get somewhere, do something distinguished, be interesting.
A feeling I understand far too well, but Franny herself is concerned about distinguishing herself from the college crowd and therefore not less shallow than those people she judges.
The second part is set in the Glass’s household, it focuses on Zooey Glass, Franny’s older brother, but Franny is right there curled up on the couch with a little book The Pilgrim Continues His Way (sequel of The Way of a Pilgrim) . The aim of both books is to wake everybody up to the need and benefits if saying the Jesus Prayer.
Franny and Zooey are the youngest of seven precocious and genius children, who grew up on academic tests and for a while were celebrities on a radio quiz show known as “It’s a Wise Child.”
They are smarter than most of the world around them or this is how they obviously feel. I found them a little too pretentious and ultimately they didn’t strike me as human beings but rather a fake portrait of youth that Salinger employees to make a few points (on religion mainly).
The second part could be described as a philosophical debate about religion.
I am one of those who always finds herself in the middle of the most animated discussions, especially about Catholicism. My family has a certain degree of variety on the subject ranging from my mother who teaches catechism and belongs to a very committed community to my brother who declared himself agnostic years ago, with me right in the middle. I lost my dad a few years ago but he would have been on the “I don’t really care but if it makes you happy I will make an effort but please lets enjoy our food now” side.
I spent years trying to extricate my rational opinions from all those messy feelings masterfully consolidated into my soul.
In my life I learned that nobody is objective when it comes to Jesus, sooner or later we all say something like Zooey “I don’t think you understood Jesus when you were a child and I don’t think you understand him now”.
And every time I see that happening I can’t help thinking “not again” , I have very little patient when writers or regular human beings engage in those sort of topics without having done their homework on the subject.
As philosophical considerations go those weren’t impressive, I found them superficial but I spent two nights on them and don’t regret the experience.
Other reviews:
Musings: reverie as my reality
My grade: mixed feelings / very confused
Em
