What really knocks me out

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it” -JD Salinger from "The Catcher In the Rye"

Stuck at home, I've made it a point to read some classic American literature. In recent years, my nose tends to find itself in the middle of a school textbook over books read for pleasure. Well now's my opportunity to change that. 

I'm almost ashamed of how skimpy my contact with classic literature has been. I think it was the first time that I tried to read Twain in elementary school that I started nudging myself away from classics because I couldn't understand anything he was saying. Time has changed that. Language no longer appears so complex on a page and I have the tools to breakdown complex passages. I'm endeavoring to engage more with classics over this next period of quarantine. They're classics after all and they worked to earn permanent spots on the shelves of American Literature.  

Anyway, the quote above is from The Catcher In the Rye, which I find hilarious by the way. This quote stuck out; I had to go back and reread it to make sure I wasn't reading a book review and it was Salinger himself suddenly changing the tone of the narrative. The main character, Holden, is so cynical anyway I cannot imagine himself actually saying that. Perhaps it's a projection of Salinger himself. 

Regardless, I couldn't agree with Salinger more. It's almost a matter of charisma and connection with the audience. Every laugh Salinger generates is an opportunity for readers to connect with the author; it's a matter of taking a deeper dive into the mind of the reader. Salinger enlivens his character through casual writing, which Holden calls his "lousy" writing for lack of a better vocabulary. In fact, Holde's cynical complaints are one, so relatable, and two, so descriptive that I can't help but imagine a commensurate protuberance of Salinger's own pet peeves and observations into the character. Love, love, love this book so far.