Rebel in the Rye Page #2
- PG-13
- Year:
- 2017
- 106 min
- $354,363
- 1,440 Views
what you talked about
in class.
You know, my voice
overwhelming the story.
I always thought my voice
is what defines me
as a writer.
Absolutely.
Your voice is what makes
your story unique.
But when that voice
overwhelms the story
as it did in your
admissions essay
then it becomes
an expression
more of your ego
than of the emotional
experience of the reader.
Does that make sense?
Kind of.
Kind of..
No.
I'd apologize
for being late, but since
I'm going to be late
for every single class
this semester
I'm going to instead
save my strength
for the reading
of your pages
and heavy drinking.
Now, today
I want to focus on
the writer's voice.
And to illustrate this,
I'm going to read
a passage to you
from William Faulkner.
Alright, now I want you
to listen carefully.
In fact,
close your eyes.
"The jailer cut her down
"and then, revived her.
"Then he beat her
"and whipped her.
"She had hung herself
with her dress."
Alright, so,
what happened?
A woman in jail
tried to commit suicide
and after the jailer
saved her, he beat her.
Exactly. This is why
I let women
audit my classes.
Hopefully, the rest
of the university
will soon follow suit.
Alright, now,
I read this passage
in as dull a voice
as I could possibly muster
and yet you were
still all engaged
by the passage. Why?
Because the events
of the story
were compelling
thematically layered,
and dramatic.
Now, of course,
Faulkner is famous
for his voice,
with its unique,
regional style.
And so therefore,
even the non-writer thinks
that they love Faulkner
but in fact it is
the events of the story
the attempted suicide,
the beating
that draws us in.
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And then Faulkner
uses his voice
to make the story
uniquely his own.
[whispering]
Does that make sense?
For our next class,
I want you all to write
a five-page story.
Ask yourselves,
if I were to read
this in a monotone
would I still keep
the class' attention?
Okay, well, I'm really
not going to do any better
than that today.
So, that's it, you can use
the rest of the time
to write your story,
or masturbate.
Just try not to confuse
the former
with the latter.
God knows,
there is many an author
who has failed
at that very task.
Have a good weekend.
See you later, children.
The one good thing
about being stuck
in a nut house
is everyone here
is in the same
lousy shape as I am.
Truth be told, I never
really fit in anywhere
in the whole
goddamned world.
Uptown, I was a Jew.
Downtown, I was a square.
But on occasion,
I could fool the girls
into thinking
I was
Clark Gable's cousin.
Bravo! Bravo!
Keep giving 'em hell,
Ernie!
You know what,
I actually think
'cause I love how much
it pisses my father off.
That's hilarious.
You need to go with that.
You should write
your story about that.
Nah.
- You got your watch on?
- Yes. Why?
Because you need to give
that girl the time.
Yes, I do.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- So, you like jazz?
- What do you think?
So, um, what do you do
most of the time
on weekends?
I don't know. What do you
do most of the time
on weekends?
This and that.
This and that?
I know that's code
for sowing your wild oats.
[laughing]
"Sow your wild oats?"
I'm sorry.
I don't follow.
Oh, please.
Chase around.
Joe College.
Sow the wild oats?
"I don't think
I get your drift."
"You know, chase around.
Joe College."
Suddenly, from the
other side of the room
a small blond
shrieked with laughter.
Yes. It was very good.
Your voice was present
and entertaining
but it helped
tell the story,
it didn't become it.
I -- I felt it,
you know, I could tell
when something I wrote
was too clever.
- Was it true?
- Hmm, some of it.
Some, I made up.
Well, you know
what we call that?
- What?
- Writing.
So, how do I
get it published?
Well, that's
a bit ambitious
for your first outing,
don't you think?
Well, a real writer
publishes, right?
That's the only way
to make a living at it.
Oh, wait, let me guess,
your father told you that.
Well, why don't you try
"The New Yorker?"
I'm sure
that would impress him.
I was actually thinking
"Story Magazine."
I love their pieces.
Do you know who the editor
of "Story" is?
Well, yeah. You.
And on behalf of "Story,"
for your submission.
Unfortunately, we're going
to decline at this time.
But we do look forward
to reading your
future submissions.
Mr. Salinger, you're about
to learn the second most
important lesson
on having a career
as a writer.
Learning to deal
with rejection.
Well, I'm going straight
to "The New Yorker"
and they're going to
publish it, and you're
going to be sorry!
I already am!
- Hi, I'm here to --
Fill this out.
Leave your story.
We'll get back to you
in four to six weeks.
This is the...first story
I've ever submitted.
Well, that's
a historic day for us all.
What's the J.D.
stand for?
It's juvenile
delinquent.
Don't write that.
And I want
those re-writes
before next week.
And do not get used
to the idea of me
staying for each class
my dinner
plans canceled.
Oh, it's your first
rejection letter.
You have to
get that framed!
- So, what do I do now?
- You're a writer.
What do you think
you do now?
Write another story?
Yes. And then write
another one after that.
And then another one
after that.
And then another one
after that.
- Okay.
- And then another one
after that!
Perhaps my dreams
of literary triumph
were the delusions
of an egotistical
and overly-ambitious
boy who should
have listened
when he was offered
the chance to be
the king of the bacon.
I could've been
a king, Whit.
I don't know
if I'm cut out for this.
Yeah. Maybe you're not.
- You -- you don't
think I am?
- Well..
Let me ask you
a question.
Why do you want
to do this?
Publish?
No.
Be a writer.
Why do you
want to write?
Because I..
I get angry about
a lot of things.
When I'm writing,
I feel like I'm doing
something about it.
Like I'm finally getting
to speak my mind.
You see, Jerry, this is
what you need to be doing
in your writing.
Explore what it is
that makes you angry
and then put that
into a story.
- But --
- No, no, no,
but here's the catch.
You still may
never publish.
- Never?
- Nope.
You may spend
the rest of your life
being rejected.
And now, you have to
ask yourself a question.
Are you willing
to devote your life
to telling stories
knowing that you may get
nothing in return?
And if the answer
to that question is no
well, then, you should
go out there
and find yourself
something else to do
with your life
because you're not
a true writer.
Good day.
Thank you very much.
No, no, no, no.
Take your rejections
with you.
Would you look
at this place,
it's beautiful.
You -- you'll find
something else
you like to do,
sonny. You'll see.
And it'll be something
you can actually
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"Rebel in the Rye" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/rebel_in_the_rye_16653>.
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