Paraphernalia

by Connor, Steven

• ISBN13: 9781846682704
• ISBN10: 1846682703
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-12-04
• Publisher: Consortium Book Sales & Dist

Summary

From combs and keys to sweets and handkerchiefs, certain objects, though seemingly mundane, can have a magical quality, and an often surprising power to arouse, absorb, disturb, or soothe.Take bags, for example. Why do most women carry handbags, while men rely on pockets? Why do so many houses have bags of bags? And why do we ‘let the cat out the bag’ or ‘give someone the sack’? What significance do our bags hold for us? Imaginative and entertaining, Steven Connor embarks on a historical, philosophical and linguistic journey that explores our relationships with the curious things with which we have a forgotten but daily intimacy.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Speaking of Objects	p. 1
Bags	p. 14
Batteries	p. 23
Buttons	p. 36
Cards	p. 47
Combs	p. 63
Glasses	p. 78
Handkerchiefs	p. 90
Keys	p. 99
Knots	p. 110
Newspaper	p. 119
Pills	p. 131
Pins	p. 139
Pipes	p. 150
Plugs	p. 161
Rubber Bands	p. 171
Sticky Tape	p. 188
Sweets	p. 198
Wires	p. 206
Notes	p. 218
Index	p. 241
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