The Catalogical Imperative

"One of the pleasures, or horrors, of the direct-mail business is that you never know to whom your name will be pandered." pg 114 of Ex Libris. This essay, but particularly this line, was very recognizable in my own personal experiences. I am constantly barraged on a daily basis through the U.S. postal service by catalogs I would never consider shopping from but which entice me to thumb through anyway, if only just to see the rediculous objects other people might actually squander hard earned money on. My favorite of these catalogs is by Anthropologie, an upscale clothing store which specializes in shoes from Spain which average around $500 a pair. Once again though, I believe Fadiman's so-called refined use of verbage has led her to make yet another error in word usage. The last word, "pandered," comes from the root to pander which is specifically defined as: to furnish clients for a prostitute or supplies a person for illicit sexual intercourse; to cater to or profit from the weaknesses or vices of others; a go-between in amorous intrigues. I personally am not sexually intrigued by any of the mail-order catalogues I have ever received, although conincidentally I once ended up on a mailing list for homosexual male pornography, which provided my friends which at least a week's worth of jokes at my expense. I believe in Fadiman's endeavor to present herself as more articulate than she truly is seems to be a common occurence in her essays, which fail to impress but do entertain to some extent.

I was giving more thought to these blog posts about reading Ex Libris and realized that I am sounding more like a word snob with every new post. I know better than to be so critical of someone, but it is a petpeeve of mine for people to use words incorrectly when they take no time to learn the meaning behind each word they wish to incorporate. I promise I am finding some postive elements as well in Ex Libris, it just seems easier to remember the sections I do not like or agree with.

"ptomaine poisoning" - food poisoning. Ptomaines are the catabolized proteins of food thought to be the source of foodborne illness. The bacteria responsible are E. coli, salmonella, and listeria.