lexicography/pher as a literary/philosophical motif

[Valentino, Russell]

A few thoughts on this intriguing angle:

On the more canonical side, there's Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary ((with a fine definition of Russian nihilism);
and, from 2005 or so, Vassilis Alexakis, Foreign Words (in which main character uses dictionary as entry point into another culture, and where words and the collection of words offer a way to live and make sense of life).

Tending toward philology, there's Carlo Michelstaedter's Persuasion and Rhetoric, and Claudio Magris's A Different Sea, from the Triestine literary world, both of which are largely about living in and through words.

I also wonder whether Shakespeare's Prospero might fit here, in one or another of his many manifestations, from Gielgud to Walter Pidgeon.

Someone correct me but is there not also a genre of mainly Spanish poetry that uses the alphabet as an organizational principle (abecedario del amor, etc.)? There are plenty of popular songs that are organized by spelling (L is for the way you look at me), and there is a Russian alphabetic explanation for the denigration of ambition in Russian culture, which notes that the letter "ia" is at the end of the alphabet, not the beginning. I see I've moved this from lexigraphy to grammatology so better stop.

This will make a good book, Toma...



Russell Valentino




-----Original Message-----
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list on behalf of Toma Tasovac
Sent: Fri 6/20/2008 6:40 AM
To: SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU
Subject: [SEELANGS] lexicography/pher as a literary/philosophical motif
 
Dear colleagues,

I'm interested in the literary and philosophical treatment of  
lexicography and the figure of the lexicographer on his/her elusive  
quest for meaning, identity and satisfaction in and against language,  
which runs the gamut from mediocrity (Flauber't ridicule of Charles  
Bovary's extensive and systematic use of the French-Latin dictionary,  
for instance) to madness (Roget's obsessive-compulsive compilation of  
lists of all sorts, or the celebrated case of the committed -- in  
both senses of the word -- OED contributor William Chester Minor).

I'd like to dip into the collective brain of this list and solicit  
examples -- Slavic or non-Slavic -- of poetry (e.g. Neruda's Odo al  
Diccionario), fiction (such as Bruno Frank's Der Reisepaß, Pavic'  
???????? ??????), essays written by non-lexicogrphers  
(e.g. Sartre writing about the fascinating pictures in Nouveau  
Larousse illustré, or Borges' preface to Diccionario enciclopédico  
Grijalbo), dictionaries written by non-lexicographers (Voltaire's   
Dictionnaire philosophique, Flaubert's Dictionnaire des idées  
reçues, Solzhenitsin's ??????? ???????  
????????? ??????????) or any other literary/ 
philosophical texts in which the theory and practice of collecting  
and defining words plays a thematic, metaphoric or structural role.

Any tips or references, no matter how small, would be appreciated.  
Many thanks in advance.

All best,
Toma

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------