A dismal treatise on the laws of Moses by John Weemes jumps to mind. Weemes should have been saved by providence for our current era, when he would have served splendidly in traffic court; he delights in minutiae and in the pounding of a gavel. A right-hand column appears in the pages of his book but is used solely for emphasis, never for amplification. No footnotes are allowed, of course. While detailing lawful ceremonies, Weemes confronts a biblical text in which “Lions, Oxen & Cherubims” appear. The cherubims make him nervous. He immediately describes an elaborate system of wings. Wings cover their faces and feet. Two wings stretch out to cover whatever is in between. The text tells us “the Lord would not have them to appeare naked ….” And the margin note echoes shrilly, “The Lord would have the Cherubims covered and not to appeare naked.” A cigar is sometimes a cigar but this kind of excess of decorum registers as almost certainly more than merely an excess of decorum.
What do You think about The Devil's Details (2003)?
