Warlock (1959)

[Paul Mackin]

Favorite books, movies, music, etc.,  are  things we can always count  
upon to bring the p-list to life.

Favorites lists  are a way of defining for ourselves and others WHO  
WE ARE.

I am reminded of quite a perceptive passage in Mary Gaitskill's   
_Veronica_.

The non-eponymous protagonist of the novel describes how her  
taciturn, if not downright morose, father handles self-definition.


"My father used to make lIsts of his favorite popular songs, ranked  
in order of preference. These lists were very nuanced, and they  
changed every few years. He'd walk around with the list in this hand,  
explaining why Jo "G.I. Joe" Stafford was ranked just above Doris  
Day; why Charles Trenet topped Nat King Cole--but by a hair only. It  
was his way of showing people things about him that  were too private  
to  say directly. For  a while, everybody had some idea what Doris  
Day versus Jo Stafford meant;  to  give a preference for one over   
the  other signaled a mix of feelings that were secret and tender;  
and  people could sense  these  feelings when they imagined the  
songs  side by  side."

p. 15-16