paraphernalia of a very heavy cigarette smoker and an amateur handyman; two oversized pockets had been added at the hips, and they usually contained two or three packs of cigarettes, several match folders, a screwdriver, a claw-end hammer, a Boy Scout knife that had once belonged to one of her sons, and an enamel faucet handle or two, plus an assortment of screws, nails, hinges, and ball-bearing casters all of which tended to make Mrs. Glass – chink faintly as she moved about in her large apartment. Discuss: J. D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey — What does the detail in this passage reveal about Mrs. Glass’s character? In other words, how does the detail give you a picture of her looks and insight into her character? How would the meaning of the fourth sentence (With its . . . ) be different without the detail that follows the many semicolon? Apply: Sketch a picture of Mrs. Glass. Include in your sketch the details from the passage that you think are most expressive of the author’s attitude toward Mrs. Glass. / 39 Lesson 15: Detail Detail Consider: In fact right behind her Gabriel could be seen piloting Freddy Malins across the landing. The latter, a young man of about forty, was of Gabriel’s size and build, with very round shoulders. His face was fleshy and pallid, touched with colour only at the thick hanging lobes of his ears and at the wide wings of his nose. He
paraphernalia of a very heavy cigarette smoker and an amateur handyman; two oversized pockets had been added at the hips, and they usually contained two or three packs of cigarettes, several match folders, a screwdriver, a claw-end hammer, a Boy Scout knife that had once belonged to one of her sons, and an enamel faucet handle or two, plus an assortment of screws, nails, hinges, and ball-bearing casters – all of which tended to make Mrs. Glass chink faintly as she moved about in her large apartment. — J. D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey Discuss: What does the detail in this passage reveal about Mrs. Glass’s character? In other words, how does the detail give you a picture of her looks and insight into her character? How would the meaning of the fourth sentence (With its many . . . ) be different without the detail that follows the semicolon? Apply: Sketch a picture of Mrs. Glass. Include in your sketch the details from the passage that you think are most expressive of the author’s attitude toward Mrs. Glass. Lesson 15: Detail / 39 Detail Consider: In fact right behind her Gabriel could be seen piloting Freddy Malins across the landing. The latter, a young man of about forty, was of Gabriel’s size and build, with very round shoulders. His face was fleshy and pallid, touched with colour only at the thick hanging lobes of his ears and at the wide wings of his nose. He