lexicography/pher as a literary/philosophical motif

[William Ryan]

Don't forget Dr Samuel Johnson, the first significant English 
lexicographer and allegedly the most quoted English writer after 
Shakespeare. He defined 'lexicographer' wrily as  'a writer of 
dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the 
original, and detailing the signification of words.' James Boswell's 
Life of Johnson is a famous and fascinating work, and later literature 
about Johnson is extensive. A Russian connection can be found in an 
article by the late J.S.G. Simmons, 'Samuel Johnson "on the Banks of the 
Wolga"', Oxford Slavonic Papers, 11, 1964.
Will Ryan


Toma Tasovac wrote:
> 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' 
> Хазарски речник), 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 Русский словарь языкового расширения) 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
>
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