The So Called FAQ (was Re: literary criticism)

Kim,

> the most f.a.q. is: why doesn't the jds.faq link
> work?? :)

I am afraid Matt's to blame entirely for this one. Or his (then?) Univ
server where the pages were then kept. I guess we should publically ask him
what became of those.

But the other FAQ (the one that was then and shall ever remain a work not in
progress) link does work (I just checked), though I grant that it is far
from even a beginning.

After typing all those pages in three or four frenzied days many years ago,
I hadn't even looked them over, even for typos and syntax errors, and on
visiting some of the links posted here, I cringe each time, think of
re-writing and editing most of the material, and updating it, but somehow
haven't found time and/or inclination.

I think John's question about the jacket notes on F&Z got answered by you (I
was of course just being facetious about the dog etc) when you pointed out
the relevance of the publishing dates of the stories.

I am not sure whether we included JDS reacting to the critics in his
subsequent texts, overtly or covertly, in the FAQ -- but the later stories
do seem full of his "coy fraudulence" in responding to prominent criticism.

So perhaps the question about Franny and Updike review does merit an
inclusion in any such FAQ. I haven't looked around on the web, and have a
feeling someone or the other may well have done just that.

Since this one was all done way back in 1997, or perhaps 1998, there have
been many more biographies and happenings that deserve a mention too, I am
sure.

Some days back Matt suggested searching the list archives, and it does seem
like a worthwhile effort for summing up many of the debates that we revisit
every now and then.

I remember expressing to Matt that Scottie or Tim would be ideal for editing
any such list FAQ, for it to be really, well, representative, but then given
Scottie's aversion to being Sirred or deferred to, such thoughts better not
be expressed, particularly right now, as being Columbined in reverse does
not rule out collateral damage.

Sonny

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Received on Thu Dec 5 07:43:42 2002