Monday, December 13, 2010

Ten of the best handkerchiefs in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best handkerchiefs in literature.

One entry on the list:
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

Tristram's father gets himself in a tangle trying to extract "a striped India handkerchief from his right coat pocket, in order to rub his head". He has used his right hand to take off his wig so he tries to use his left. "In the latter end of Queen Anne's reign, and in the beginning of the reign of King George the first – 'Coat pockets were cut very low down in the skirt.' – I need say no more."
Read about the other entries on the list.

Tristram Shandy also appears among Peter Carey's top ten works of literature, Thomas C. Schelling's influential books, Bamber Gascoigne's six best books, and John Mullan's list of ten of the best deathbed scenes in literature.

--Marshal Zeringue