Back in my day, we were as children given very strict instruction in Library Etiquette. No more would you raise your voice in that sanctum, in infantile mirth, than you would in church, or at a funeral. Books were to be returned unharmed and on-time; the concept of the Overdue Library Book was our first introduction to the notion of having a sin on one’s conscience.
The situation is somewhat reminiscent of that prevailing during Freudian/Victorian times, when children were subjected to overly-strict toilet-training, with odd and lasting consequences.
In the current issue of The New Yorker, in a typically witty review of the new movie “Moonrise Kingdom”, Anthony Lane writes, of a couple’s mad romantic encounter, before they go off on their great adventure:
Now they come face to face once more -- Sam with his canoe, gun, tent, and all-around scouting skills; Suzy with her library books and a cat in a basket. [dbj: BTW, note the Harry/Hermione motif]. His most urgent concern, obviously, is the books: “Some of these are going to be overdue.”
I totally get that.
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