In the context of Bookshelved, a McGuffin is a page that achieves something other than discussion of the book named. Some are used to tag pages regarding the page type (see Categories) or genre or other attributes (see BeyondCategory). McGuffins that are not primarily for tagging pages are listed here:
About Bookshelved:
Origin of the term
A McGuffin is an attention-catching device or plot element, especially one which can safely be ignored once it has been used.
In his 1966 interview with director-film critic, Francois Truffaut, Alfred Hitchcock said:
It might be a Scottish name, taken from a story about two man in a train. One man says, "What's that package up there in the baggage rack?"
And the other answers, "Oh that's a McGuffin."
The first one asks "What's a McGuffin?"
"Well" the other man says, "It's an apparatus for trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands."
The first man says, "But there are no lions in the Scottish Highlands," and the other one answers "Well then that's no McGuffin!" So you see, a McGuffin is nothing at all.
( Taken from http://www.bencom.tm/mcguffin.htm )
That would also apply to category books, mind you. I started the McGuffin award (which is itself a McGuffin) to distinguish book pages which spur Bookshelvites to action or discussion of some sort, other than reviewing a book or updating a bookshelf page; BusStop linked us to the larger community of Wikis, UnfinishedTales invited a different way of discussing books. Possibly MissingLinks, also deserves one. A McGuffin page is one that says, "And now for something completely (or slightly) different." -- lb
Meanwhile, we booksheveleds (like disheveled, only worse) missed the 500 event. ;) -- lb
Let's create The500HatsOfBartholomewCubbins anyway! :-)
Bookshelvistas...
An alternative, if passion is felt to be too much even for Bookshelved, would be AVeryDecidedPreference?, [ISBN 0393028208 (amazon.com, search)]. -- GarethMcCaughan
Two McGuffins I'm trying to think of book titles for:
Suggestion for the first one: "ThePopcornReport?" breathlessly subtitled "FaithPopcorn? on the Future of Your Company, Your World, Your Life." This was a book about fads and trends, which the media at the time proposed as essential, and it was very much an item to be seen with, again at the time. It's author was a pundit-du-trend and fad who was herself both trendy and a fad. So many levels of irony here, it's just too good.
Suggestion for the second: TheGreatGoodPlace?: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. All too appropriate for a bookhound wiki.
I'm trying to think of a McGuffin to indicate that a book is part of a series (like TheNatureOfOrder), without much luck. Any ideas? -- EarleMartin
Hmm, Just did a quick search for something with "Taylor", or "McLaurin?" in the title, but no joy. Meanwhile, is NOO a series, or a four-volume work? In the sense that, say, the volumes of the OxfordEnglishDictionary? are not a series, whereas the LemonySnicket? books are. --KB
Bookshelved probably doesn't want to discuss ongoing world events ... but it occured to me the other day that if we did, TheyCameToBaghdad? (AgathaChristie) would be an ideal McGuffin ...
:)
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