Friday 4 June 2010

Some Black-Clad Men


I was looking in a book on black clothing today, and instead of finding what I wanted I found this list in the index. (I can't be bothered to type up all the page numbers, but I'm sure you can imagine them).

black dress, men's, as worn by:
   architects
   artists
   bikers
   butlers
   Christ
   clergymen
   the condemned
   courtiers
   doctors
   Dracula
   executioners
   Fascists
        British
        German
        Greek
        Italian
   Jesuits
   lawyers
   lovers
   men of the world
   merchants
   ministers of governments
   Mods
   monarchs
   New Romantics
   parliamentarians
   the poor
   princes
   Punks
   Rockers
   soldiers
   teachers

The abecedarian nature of the index has, of course, provided alliteration, but by chance it has produced perfect juxtapositions and connections: Christ, Clergymen, the Condemned. Elsewhere in the index I noticed marriage, melancholy, the middle class. It reminded me of this bit from Waiting for Godot.
I may stop reading books and confine myself to indices.

The book, by the way, is Men in Black by John Harvey. I recommend it.

 

6 comments:

  1. Could you please will your brain to me?

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  2. The Antipodean5 June 2010 at 07:13

    doctors
    Dracula
    executioners

    is quite good too, as is:

    New Romantics
    parliamentarians
    the poor

    I saw Waiting for Godot on Thursday evening... Roger Rees' slumping, almost cowering in defeat as McKellen delivers the final 'Crritic!' - lovely stuff. It was the first time I've seen it and the suspense and emotion arising out of nothing happening, twice, was amazing. Musical language, indeed.

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  3. Was there a list of black dress, women's too? Nuns, widows, Italian grandmothers, S&M mistresses, Audrey Hepburn?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unfortunately the title is Men In Black and women only get:
    black dress, women's, in relation to:
    formality
    Methodism
    mourning
    power
    service
    sexuality
    smartness
    strength

    ReplyDelete