I’m currently analysing me own nocturnal remissions on the basis of the idea that a change of scene often means the dream is replaying the same unconscious contents in a different way / elaborating or condensing them.

So, on a basic sub-Jungian approach, and for waht it’s worth, starting with the easier iteration, here’s my armchair analysis:

The flames seem to represent the controlled fragmentation of normal rational consciousness, but in trenches, i.e. sunken into the ground (the unconscious), and in the middle of a battle (suggesting a current trend of upwelling of unconscious contents in your life at that time and a shaking of the conscious structure - ideally as part of a break-down to build-up again better individuation cycle).

Indeed, this is what we see - the fire joining back together into un-fragmented psychical energy which draws your vision further downhill (ie deeper into unconsciousness) revealing personifications of the supressed elements of the unconscious (compound image of black [ie made of the earth] and revolutionary war - ancient, archaic, primal consciousness) and merging with them, setting them on fire and perhaps indicating a reanimation of them with the light of consciousness although in this case in a somewhat frictional and conflicted manner akin to Blakean Orc-fire of rebellious energy struggling against repressive domination.

To read the more obscure Salinger/Letterman material through this lens:

JD Salinger [obscure, anonymous, suppressed unconscious elements] contacted [request from the unconscious to make contact with - what this dream is doing!] David Letterman out of the blue, Letterman being, it turned out, the only person JDS felt comfortable talking to [Letterman as corporate shill, working for powers of rational consciousness / authority / power / dominator structure and yet also a comedian, some link back to to untramelled play of Self]; in the dream, I work for Letterman [yes you do, don't we all, but as a junior assistant, still young, not quite so identified witht he power structure that we can't learn something from Salinger] and so Dave and I went to meet Salinger. The shock: Salinger had some terrible facial skin condition. [He's been down there too long. It has becoming dry and sick from lack of air and light. Time to correct this]

…On top of this, when Letterman and I first see Salinger, he looks like William S. Burroughs and is, apparently, a black man. [As above, compound image of archaic consciousness, WSB thrown in for good measure as symbol of magick, anti-authority, perhaps echo of Wise Old Man archetype]

At some point, JDS gets the left side [the unconscious side? the left-hand pth?] of his face stuck to the leg of my pants and as he pulls his head away, all the flesh on that side of his face is ripped off. [fear of contamination with the unconscious contents, connection to body, decay] …a spider sits nestled inside one of the folds. This spider has been inside JDS’ skin, under it, inside his cheek. [The animate energy uncovered from within the stagnant parts of the unconscious once the disgust / rejection of the shadow has been faced. The power within. Life persists.]

“Look, a spider,” Salinger points out. [reinforces that THIS was the point of the visit]

The next moment, I look at JDS face and it appears to be made of brick. [Unclear. Mission accomplished? Brick face like some ancient Egyptian monument? Perhaps mind can't take any more scary stuff for now and so blocks the further contact from JDS - and so then looks for reassurance from the super-ego / conscious structure in form of Letterman {just noticed - 'Letter-man' cf. words, literary consciousness as structural bulwark against unconscious, cf WSB trying to 'rub out the word'?}]

Where’s Letterman? [Can go no further at this level. re-boot and try in a different context / condensing symbology of first run into more compact form. Cue trench scene]

Something like that…………

Cool dream!

“When I put this book down I couldn’t pick it up again”.

The teacher’s comment was simply to complain that the review was undated.

Franny and Zooey however - I loved that book.

Regards,

HGJ