Creation Of The Oxford English Dictionary example essay topic
Interspersed in the story are definitions such as: lunatic, murderer, elephant and others. These definitions usually occur at the beginning of a new chapter and add emphasis to the themes of the factual tale. The Professor and the Madman is a story based on fact about murder, madness, and the construction of the Oxford English Dictionary. It is a tale about the companionship of two men, who were both actively involved in the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Dr. Minor serves as a surgeon in the Civil war, where he endures horrific sights. Dr. Minors experiences in the war are believed to be the leading cause of his madness.
As a result of Minors insanity he kills a man during a delusional state, which lands him a place in a mental institution. It is during Minors stay in the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum in which he begins writing thousands of definitions to contribute to the dictionary. After several volumes of the dictionary had been completed, Professor Murray meets with Minor, the man who had contributed so much of his time to the prolific cause. The two men play a large role in the making of the biggest dictionary in their time period. Newer editions of the Oxford English Dictionary still exist today and in the words of Simon Winchester, The [Oxford English Dictionary] was the heroic creation of a legion of interested and enthusiastic men and women of wide general knowledge and interest; and it lives on today, just as lives the language which it rightly claims to be a portrait (Winchester 221).