Literature Review

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa shared a photo. 8/11 near Apprassage

Catcher in the Rye, in English. Retrospec sent me this one a while back, but I had to read this thing in high school. World lit. Hated it then, but apparently it's important now. It bothers me that I'm starting to understand it on a re-read. Holden has absolutely everything going for him, but chooses to try as hard as he can to not engage with society around him. Back in high school, I thought it was just a morality tale, a spook story for kids, scare them into figuring their lives out or turn out like him. And then we all get dropped into a situation where it would be so easy to do exactly what Holden wishes he could. To decide that this life doesn't matter, and turn yourself deaf-mute to the implications. But even that wouldn't get him what it wants, would it? Question one is, what keeps you going? Keeps you paying attention to the world around you? Second question comes back to Retrospec's latest game. Anybody else get a jigsaw puzzle? "Turn him to any cause of policy, the Gordian Knot of it he will unloose, familiar as his garter." Henry V, Act 1 Scene 1. The Archbishop describing how much Henry has changed as soon as he had to take the throne, going from a layabout of a prince to a sharp statesman of a king. It's really just a framing scene, telling the audience about the time that passed between plays. Odd quote to pull out. So the last question is, what does that mean to anybody else?

Comments

[standalonehuman]

You'd be surprised how many people get twitchy when I mention my job, even when they haven't done anything wrong.

H-unh, that sounds familiar. Say, do you know Koutarou Takao? He's another artist, but I don't know all his friends.

[diamant]

to be fair
i imagine that's something like having a police officer pull in behind you while you drive
you haven't done anything wrong
but suddenly you're absolutely positive that there's a body in the trunk
along with about eighty pounds of cocaine
you know there isn't but for that brief moment there absolutely is

i can't say i've met that person
though i'm definitely making note of the name
are they close to you?

[standalonehuman]

I can proudly say I've never pulled over anyone with a body in the trunk. Wow.

Koutarou's my best friend! He's a great artist, I got to room with him in college, so I got to see a lot of his development, and the stuff he experimented with. To be fair, he still experiments, he hasn't gotten locked in to one style to only do things that way. I think he's got a lot to teach and a lot to learn.

[diamant]

i'll certainly keep an eye out then
i'm always interested in talking to other creative sorts
though we don't always see eye to eye on things
it's always interesting to see a perspective on things that i hadn't considered

[standalonehuman]

So, artist isn't quite descriptive enough, what's your favorite to work in? Painting, sculpture, photography?

Koutarou's main is painting, but he has branched into wood carving lately, of all mediums.