“The list is the origin of culture. It’s part of the history of art and literature. What does culture want? To make infinity comprehensible. It also wants to create order — not always, but often. And how, as a human being, does one face infinity? How does one attempt to grasp the incomprehensible? Through lists, through catalogs, through collections in museums and through encyclopedias and dictionaries. There is an allure to enumerating how many women Don Giovanni slept with: It was 2,063, at least according to Mozart’s librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte. We also have completely practical lists — the shopping list, the will, the menu — that are also cultural achievements in their own right.”
other lists:
- Michelangelo’s Grocery List
- How To Write a Movie
- “Steve Lacy wrote down a list of advice from jazz pianist Thelonious Monk”
- “Style is the difference between a circle and how to draw it”
- “An impression—city in peril—dead city—equestrian statue—men in closed room—clattering of hooves heard from outside—marvel disclosed on looking out—doubtful ending”
- Five Resolutions for 2009
- Jack Kerouac’s 30 Beliefs and Techniques For Writing Modern Prose
Paul Greer 