The Professor and the Madman 1

Author:
In addition to having an award-winning thirty year newspaper writing and broadcasting career, Simon Winchester has written many best-selling works of popular history. Before being hired by British paper, The Guardian, his repertoire included a kaleidoscope of professions, including a sledding expedition into East Greenland and several years as a field geologist in Uganda.

Beginning with a two page description of the definition and history of the word murder, the book swiftly follows up with an actual death. However, rather than following the path of traditional mystery books, the plot twists by revealing the murderer and motive. The novel is about all that led to that point and what came after; the murder itself is of little importance.

            As the completed Oxford English Dictionary is ready to be published, all the contributors were being recognized. There was one man in particular who had provided the press with hundreds of definitions but mysteriously never wanted to receive his due credit. As the man in charge of the creation of the dictionary goes to his home, he learns that the contributor is 1) clinically insane, and 2) under house arrest for murder.
            As of now, the book is in the process of explaining the two men’s histories up until the point that they meet. It has explicitly stated multiple times that after that point, their futures will be “inextricably intertwined.” However, that is yet to come.

The context is, quite explicitly, the English language. Few truly understand and embrace the depth and wealth of the human language, when it is obviously large enough to exceed 21 volumes when published as the Oxford English Dictionary. The author weaves this message into his writing in a way that it not only sets off each chapter but also is hidden within the writing. He assumes that his audience is not necessarily the general public, but rather those interested enough in their language to pick up a book about the creating of a dictionary. However, this history is not only conveyed with logos, but includes a lot of pathos as it goes into the personal stories of the major players. I believe the author accomplishes his purpose tactfully. In reading his book, one is not only is drawn into the complexity of the plot but also the complexity of the language with which he writes.