Visiters Page: Shimada Seminar, Department of English, Dokkyo University

Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway.

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around--nobody big, I mean--except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy."

(J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye)

July 14, 1997

Dear Visitors:

This web page is designed to introduce to you what my students and I do in our seminar. Make yourself at home and stay as long as you like, although this site is still under construction and there's not much to see and enjoy yet .

If you have any opinions or suggestions about this site, feel free to e-mail us. My seminar members and I are looking forward to hearing from you and would like to improve our site.

Sincerely,

Keiichi Shimada

P.S. If you are an English major student at Dokkyo and would like to get some information about the seminar registration, please click here.

P.S. 2 (July 19, 1997)
I have made the Unofficial Bernard Malamud Home Pages. They are still under construction and many of the pages are yet to be completed. But you may find some valuable information. I appreciate very much if you kindly visit them.

Q: Why is your visitor's page called "The Catcher in the Rye Page"?

A: Because some passages from J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye are quoted on the top of this page. That's simple enough, isn't it?

Q: But why are they quoted here--for your visitor's page?

A: We don't know for sure. Mr. Shimada has just named this page as it is. We know he likes the book. He used it for his Reading Class last year. Since this page is designed primarily to recruit new seminar members, maybe he thought of getting your attention by using one of the most popular books among you. He may even be thinking of reading it next year for our seminar. But watch out! He must be thinking of catching you and keeping you in his seminar just like Holden in the book. He looks nice but, in fact, he is not. He is sometimes very demanding and is always whimsical. Most of all, he is not fair! He tells us to study harder but he doesn't seem to be studying hard enough himself. Besides, our present seminar is not at all a "big field of rye", where little kids are peacefully and innocently playing some game and all. So our advice for you is to go over the cliff before he catches you. Good luck!