March 18, 2018

"Sprinkle the fairy dust of high-sounding words over the ungainly contours of something quite ordinary, and you may be able to transform it into something special..."

"... in the way that a gentle snowfall can turn an ugly tool shed into a dreamy cottage, inhabited by elves. Even if you are running a thrift shop—and yes, it is not hard to find proprietors of thrift shops who identify themselves as 'curators' of their establishments—you too can boast that your shop’s contents are 'thoughtfully curated.' That sounds a whole lot better than saying 'We don’t take used underwear or stuff that has holes in it.' But there is a lot to be said for respecting and loving ordinary things on their own terms, seeing that they are beautiful even without makeup, rather than always trying to tart them up into something grand and gilded."

From "Curate" by Wilfred M. McClay in The Hedgehog Review, via Arts & Letters Daily.

25 comments:

Ralph L said...

Someone linked this at JOM, and I've read several of their articles which were worth the time spent. Their work is well-curated.

Darrell said...

That's why the Clintons are proud to bring their used underwear to the charity shops to get a tax deduction, shitstains and all. Let the Curators separate the wheat from the chaff.

tcrosse said...

There's plenty of food for thought in the Fall 2017 ish.
The End of the End of History?

madAsHell said...

Sprinkle the fairy dust of high-sounding words

Intersectionalities!!!

Hmmm....My spell checker doesn't like the fairy dust.

LordSomber said...

As it's already been said, "curate" is just another word ruined by hipsters.

tcrosse said...

curate

noun
a member of the clergy engaged as assistant to a vicar, rector, or parish priest.

Richard Dillman said...

High sounding words. Do you mean euphemisms, which have been around for cenruries? Think of all the inflated terms for undertaker or
going to the bathroom or for death in general.

Richard Dillman said...

On euphemisms, see Evelyn Waugh’s novel “ The Loved One.” Good satire of the funeral industry.

Bob Boyd said...

There's no such thing as elves, fairy dust or an ugly tool shed.

Triangle Man said...

“True Wit is Nature to advantage dress'd"

ccscientist said...

I believe this is called being pretentious.

Michael said...

I stop at the word curate.

tcrosse said...

At our neighbourhood dog park there's a guy whose job it is to curate the turds.

traditionalguy said...

I believe Meade curates leaves and grass clippings. The older they are the better.

mockturtle said...

"...in the way that a gentle snowfall can turn an ugly tool shed into a dreamy cottage, inhabited by elves

I prefer my tool shed to be inhabited by tools.

Howard said...

Love the curation of cynicism here. Boomer hipster.

Cath said...

"Curate" is a homograph!

DBS said...

In our Anglican-use Catholic church, my wife runs its Thrift Store. She and the other volunteers are friends to the neighborhood and to our church. The word, "curate" perfectly captures the breadth of its mission. Thanks for linking to this insight.

tcrosse said...

"Curate" is a homograph!

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

tim in vermont said...

‘Curated,” ‘artisanal,’ ‘tactical,’ all words that can go, as far as I am concerned, on a long sabbatical, unused until their original meanings demand they come back and the other meanings have been shed.

tim in vermont said...

‘Homemade” has long since been assassinated by the needs of low commerce.

mockturtle said...

Tim, I agree except for 'tactical'. In battle, tactical is at least as important as strategic.

tim in vermont said...

tactical is at least as important as strategic.

Tell me about tactical sunglasses and flashlights then.

Phil 314 said...

Re: homograph,

What did they call them before the 20th century, or did people suddenly realize "Hey these words are spelled the same but mean something different!"

todd galle said...

Ugh. My actual job title is 'curator'. I have one of the largest 17th C. furniture and decorative arts collections in my care. It may seem petty, but after 25 years in the field, it frosts me that everything is 'curated' today. Show me the damn research file chasing down the craftsman's initials stamped in the back of a caned chair. Did you check that with known collectors and the British Museum? Get in touch with your period contact at Bonhams? How about the mid 1600's London pewter stamps? Ever try to chase one of those (curiously one I hunted came back to a fellow named Moses)? One of the reasons I wear my hair short is so I can't pull it out in fits of frustration. Oh Darrell, I do have a 1701 silk petticoat in my collection, so some of us do have an underwear collection. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.