Odp: [Bananafish] Re: Geismar

[Matt Kozusko]

Jimself:
> He seems to value sincerity, honesty, people over things or ideas,  
> a religious consciousness that follows a pantheist trajectory,  
> enlightenment that produces an existential change in the individual  
> rather than one consisting primarily of systematic knowledge,  
> tolerance at least, compassion/understanding preferred, extreme  
> giftedness, especially intelligence.


Well said, Jim!  It's an interesting question, and a good one.  Your  
phrasing on religion and enlightenment is particularly striking.

All we've got besides the fiction is a mess of generally negative  
biographies.  In the context of this question, perhaps the  
biographies are just inadequate, but they do suggest that the man has  
some difficulty living up to his  characters' standards.

Matt




--
mkozusko at ursinus.edu