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dec 17
2009

Klosterman On Lists

It's my responsibility to explain why list-making matters, probably by making up some ridiculous counterintuitive argument and using words like "paradigm," self-reflexive," and "counterintuitive." I suppose I could suggest that the acceleration of technology has changed the way humans organize their internal thoughts, or that the proliferation of media has made list-making a necessary extension of cultural engagement, or that the ability to place pre-existing items into an arbitrary sequence has replaced the desire to generate an authentic personality. But that would be predictable.

--Chuck Klosterman, intro to Inventory. (The 2009 List of Lists is up to 250 entries and should double by the end of the year.)

4 comments

So lists are like stories in themselves. David Letterman's daily top 10 list is a perfect example. They start with intrigue and end with a satisfying denoument at the end, proving the consistency of the silly/outrageous title.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> It's a part of the cultrure for sure, and is an art form in itself.

posted by chest workout at 2009-12-17 21:45:32

I clicked the link to the lists you mentioned and I could spend an entire weekend reading them all... great stuff.

posted by coffee makers at 2009-12-17 21:47:51

<em>Inventory</em> is really good.

posted by Robert Quigley at 2009-12-18 08:55:19

David Letterman list does not amount to much

posted by Ian Stuart at 2009-12-18 10:35:24