A bit on John Cheever and The Swimmer

Received The Stories of John Cheever last week in the mail and getting through the good ones first.

Wiki: His main themes include the duality of human nature: sometimes dramatized as the disparity between a character's decorous social persona and inner corruption, and sometimes as a conflict between two characters (often brothers) who embody the salient aspects of both--light and dark, flesh and spirit. Many of his works also express a nostalgia for a vanishing way of life (as evoked by the mythical St. Botolphs in the Wapshot novels), characterized by abiding cultural traditions and a profound sense of community, as opposed to the alienating nomadism of modern suburbia.

Malcolm Jones: Sometimes he convinces us that the world is what he says it is, but just as often, he sounds like an author with an ax to grind, who begrudges his characters happiness out of stinginess or envy and who drags them through the mud because mud is all he knows.

Seinfeld reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cheever_Letters

The Swimmer is a great example of his writing; unsympathetic protagonist, human nature, duality, struggle, ultimately a broken home and mental illness. One can really see the same themes in Mad men. Anyway, a lot of people go through life like that, it seems. Just talking about myself a bit here, it's good to identify and know so early on, at least for me, that this is a very dangerous, hurtful to yourself and others, untrue way to live. I really do try to treat others like I'd like to be treated, but obviously it's tough... The ego gets in the way of the id, others treat you unfairly and an alienating cycle can develop, etc... It's tough, but it's important to keep you, your loved ones, and the outside world/commitments in order.

I watched the movie (IMDB and torrent), and the it was really well shot. Haunting. Each pool gets harder and harder to swim for the dual man. Worth the watch.





UPDATE: Hey, New Yorker has a bio on John Cheever this week!
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/03/09/090309crbo_books_updike