The Old Knock Home: The Chair

The Chair is a very important piece of furniture for any Old Knock.  This should not be confused with just any chair used during the day.  This is The Chair.  The Chair is the place where an Old Knock rests his or her weary bones for a long think.  It is not some new-fangled contraption with levers and pulleys.  It does not swivel.  It does not tilt.  It is stationary.  It is solid.  It is comfortable.  It is normally fairly worn from use.  Ideally, it should be as individualistic as it’s owner.  (It should not be part of a matching living room set.) 

A lucky Old Knock will have a leather-bound chair.  I myself have an overstuffed chair covered in woven fabric.  It has a high back and arm rests with a deep seat.  My Chair is not ideal, as it is actually part of a furniture set—but one makes do with what one is allotted in life.  A favorite blanket may be thrown over the back for added warmth on those cold autumn days.  Seated next to an open fireplace is preferable. 

Old Knocks Club: H.D. Thoreau

Just to show that Old Knocks don’t have to come from England…here is a man who exemplifies the Old Knock philosophy and lifestyle.  Henry David Thoreau spent a good deal of his life alone, studying nature, ancient texts and life itself.  The mind always came first for old H.D., as exemplified in his inability to maintain a steady relationship with another human being.  But not only in philosophy did this Old Knock fulfill our ideal.  He was also quite the dapper O.K. dresser—throwing on whatever was practical and handy.

Old Knock Past-Times: The Basics

What does an Old Knock do with his or her spare time?  After all, one can only spend so much time pouring over ancient tomes, mucking about damp old churches, or pondering the mysteries of the Universe.  So what does one do on the occasional night off?

Assuming the Old Knock can do anything other than their field of study, a few ideas come to mind.  As a majority of an Old Knock’s time is spent in the sitting position, many folks will decide to stretch their legs a bit.  Get out and see a bit of the world.  Whether they are a city dweller (in which case a walk about town is called for), or a bit more rural (in which a countryside hike is in order), walking is a favorite past time.  Along these same lines, the ever popular bicycle ride is always a choice.

However, perhaps all of that time spent in isolation is getting to the Old Knock, in which case a bit of human companionship is called for.  Conversation is the preferred form of human interaction, so don’t expect to find any of these folks in noisy bars or clubs. Instead, look in quiet coffee shops, restaurants or out-of-the-way pubs.  They may also belong to some sort of social club, organized around one of their areas of interest.

Finally, many an Old Knock will also turn that scientifically-ordered mind to a hobby.  Old Knocks are avid collectors.  It doesn’t really matter what the collection consists of, but it will typically be something either extraordinary or extra-ordinary.  Old Knocks are able to find the most remarkable idiosyncrasies in everyday objects.

Truth

One's only real life is the life one never leads.--Oscar Wilde

William Boyd’s Any Human Heart (2002)

Logan Mountstuart is anything but the typical Old Knock (if there is such a thing as “typical” when it comes to this rare species).  He is a world traveller and semi-adventurer (very un-Knockish).  He is a successful(?) lover of women—again, not on an Old Knock’s resume.  They tend to fall into love by accident.  And he spends much of his life searching for something to excel at.  He does finally find it—in his writing and art collecting—but he often is distracted from it by life. 

Logan Mountstuart is, to put it bluntly, a jerk.  He is self-consumed.  He is disappointed by the realities of this world.  This is where he becomes an Old Knock.  Mountstuart is a Romantic.  And, as a Romantic, he is constantly disappointed in life.  But he tries anyway.  This desperate attempt to make life what it should be, to live life as he would have it and not being willing to accept it as it comes, is what makes him heroic.

Logan Mountstuart is human.  All too often, he goes off the rails.  But it is his attempt to press onward that gives us hope.

William Boyd

The Old Knock Home: The Basics

Just as with clothing, the Old Knock must have a place to keep the rain off.  But, just as with clothing, it would be wrong to try to pigeon-hole all Old Knocks in the same musty quarters. 

In later posts, we will deal with different specific types of ideal Old Knock dwellings, but for now, here is a brief over-view.

One of the keys to being an Old Knock is eccentricity and individuality.  Therefore, the Old Knock home should reflect the individual’s personality.  After all, the Old Knock will spend a good deal of time in his or her quarters (when not in the library or in “the field). 

As with the clothes, comfort is a key consideration.  Often times, the furnishings are rather worn and broken-in.  As this is a Reminiscent Culture, many of the items in the Old Knock house—if not the structure itself—will harken back to older days.

There should also be on display evidence of the Old Knock’s area(s) of interest and expertise.  Whether it is a large library, works of art, musical instruments, scientific equipment or antiques—they should be apparent throughout the dwelling. This is, after-all, what the Old Knock lives for and it should be visible.

Old Knocks Club: Professor Henry Higgins

(For a note of clarification, the Professor Higgins that we have in mind is his portrayal by Leslie Howard in the 1938 film, Pygmalion.)

Professor Higgins fits the Old Knock type very nicely.  He is obsessed with his scholarly work as a linguist—often time to the detriment of those around him.  He is a man of means, he knows how to live the fashionable life, but he is more interested in his intellectual pursuits.  He is also a Romantic.  Although appearances seem to the contrary, he firmly believes that he can turn a common street urchin into a true lady—and does so.