Comments on: J.D. Salinger Please Don’t be like Stephen Joyce

By: annie

annie — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:52:55 +0000

i don’t know — i think salinger should be allowed to leave the story of holden caulfield where he wants. why ruin the original story with a sequel, anyway? especially such a classic. admittedly though, i am a literary purist. i can’t help it! i love salinger so much.

it doesn’t really seem fair to compare salinger to stephen joyce, since joyce is obviously on a power trip and at least salinger wrote the book he’s arguing for.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:59:46 +0000

I agree with you regarding “isn’t that what literature is for” — authors allude to one another or reimagine works as an homage. (I do wonder if Austen is turning in her grave over Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. *grin* )

This is a wild generalization, but often this is done once the original author is dead.

This seems like a different situation than with Gone with the Wind, in that the Mitchell estate granted sequel rights, but Salinger does not appear to have been consulted at all. (I know he’s hard to reach!!!)

By: Samara

Samara — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:22:19 +0000

I thought of Pride & Prejudice Zombies, too, Laura. I didn’t mention it because I’m not sure I’m okay with that interpretation. But at least it’s not the taking of the characters that bothers me =)

At first I thought the author of Scarlet just went ahead and wrote the book. I didn’t realize she needed the Mitchell Estate permission. As long as you’re not stealing what the orginal author has written then what does it matter? I don’t know. Maybe I’d feel differently if I penned GWTW or Catcher in the Rye. . .

By: Samara

Samara — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:41:41 +0000

Thanks for chiming in Annie! I guess I just don’t consider it a sequel unless the original author writes it. If a newbie writes it then it’s an interpretation. Same way I’d feel if someone painted a picture of Holden.

And you’re right, Salinger should be proud of what he’s accomplished whereas Stephen Joyce has little to brag about. I liken the two because it seems that they risk living out their last days surrounded by piles of lawsuit paperwork. Why bother? Why not just live and laugh and love until the lights go out?