The List
Wednesday, October 1st by scott malia
For the David Letterman in us all, there is the Top Ten List. It’s a perfect creation, really. Rather than speak for contemporary culture as a whole, I’ll speak personally: I love to rank things. I like the idea of categorizing something according to its quality or interest level. It’s what awards shows, sporting events and bestseller lists are all about. I also love it because it’s an essentially impossible task. You create a list of the ten best of anything knowing that it will change. There will be more games, more films, more plays, more music, more whatever, and they will doubtlessly affect the list. Worst of all is that most inconstant factor of all: opinion. Do you ever remember something (or even someone) so fondly only to rediscover it five, ten , or fifteen years later and discover to your great dismay that it isn’t as special as you remember it? The list is a moment in time, forever subject to change.
That still doesn’t stop people from trying and a recent article on the quotability of Shakespeare did just that. In talking about the ubiquity of The Bard in everyday conversation and expressions, the writer decided to create a Top Ten list of The Bard’s
best lines. You can probably guess what made the list, and I’d be surprised if you didn’t get the number one: “To be or not to be.” Funny, I’ve always preferred “Oh that this too, too solid/sullied flesh would melt,” but hey, maybe I need to make my own list.
