Stephanie Victoria

Lines of Dedication

Sunday, March 22, 2009, 4:25 PM

It's amazing how much a dedication page in a book and tell you about the author and the book's contents. Every once in a while, I come across a dedication that gives me the chills. Those are the ones that I have to go back and read again.

Like, this one, from Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves:

"This is not for you."

Or, this one from Kurt Cobain's journals:

"Don't read my diary when I'm gone.

Okay, I'm going to work now. When you wake up this morning, please read my diary. Look through my things, and figure me out."

Chills, okay? Chills.

Or how about a dedication millions of my fellow Harry Potter fanatics will recognize:

" The
dedication
of this book
is split
seven ways:
To Neil,
To Jessica,
To David,
To Kenzie,
To Di,
To Anne,
And to you,
If you have
stuck
with Harry
until the
very
end."

Just this morning, I finished reading a story where the main character proposes to his true love in his dedication. That really kick-started my inner-romantic, I tell you. But in general, it's amazing the power one carries in deciding what part of themselves to give away in so few words.

And then, it makes me wonder about the books that have no dedications at all, like or Naked Lunch or A Clockwork Orange.

But then again, would you want Naked Lunch dedicated to you? It's a heavy book, brilliant, but heavy, and hard to stomach the first time through, and maybe that's why there is no dedication. It doesn't really need one...because when you finally understand what it's all about, you might just find that it touched you so deeply, it could've been written for you.

Anyway, onto other things. Like, math homework, because yes, my teacher decided we would be sad without math homework over our vacation.

Numbers and letters shouldn't mix.

Off I go to do some homework and watch my new favorite TV show (apart from my beloved Prison Break), Ghost Hunters. Who knew the Sci-Fi channel could be so addictive?