Rant: My book club in Denver spent 45 minutes arguing if a fictional character's cat was a metaphor for capitalism

Now I bring a printed list of 'unarguable facts' to every meeting, like the author's middle name, but does anyone else have a better way to stop these spirals before we're debating the political leanings of a teacup?

3 comments

3 Comments

sage_perry7729d ago

Printed facts are a good start... but you need to escalate. Next time someone says the teacup is a critique of the monarchy, just start reading the copyright page out loud in a monotone voice. Page numbers, publisher's address, the Library of Congress data... it's the only way to break the spell.

avery_smith2228d ago

The 1998 reprint from Oxford University Press is perfect for this. You can go on for a full minute with the CIP data before you even hit the ISBN. Include the paper weight specification and the printer's city in India. That's when you see the real panic set in their eyes.

the_parker28d ago

Honestly that's so real, you and sage_perry77 get it. Nothing cuts through the nonsense like reading the boring bits no one ever looks at.