Monday, October 07, 2013

A Rather Jocular Approach

Still haven't pinned down what to read next. Grabbed something that's been on the shelf for years: a 1944 book called NAVAHO WITCHCRAFT by Clyde Kluckhohn. I like his name! So it has that going for it. But I wish he had shortened it to Clyde Kluck. So, boo! Opened to a random sentence (from now on I will just keep telling you about the random sentences to which I open): "I have found that Navaho hitch-hikers whom I picked up when I was alone in my car were often surprisingly willing to discuss witchcraft in spite of the fact that they had never seen me before." Next sentence: "Indeed, I am sure it is because they had never seen me before and anticipated that they would never see me again that they were ready to talk!" Pretty sure I'm not reading this next either, but I do love a scholar who's not afraid of exclamation points. I already had an exclamation point in my head when I read the phrase "alone in my car," though I am sure there was nothing sinister about Clyde Kluckhohn riding around alone in his car looking for hitch-hikers to tell him about witchcraft. "For more casual talk (e.g., with a hitch-hiker), I have found a rather jocular approach best: 'Oh, you live at ______. I hear there are lots of witches over there.'" So says Clyde Kluckhohn. And that's his idea of a "rather jocular approach." Okay, maybe a few more pages.