| "The Professor and the Madman" deals with the lives of two men who came together through their work on the Oxford English Dictionary: James Murray, the professor, who was the first editor of the dictionary, and Dr. William Chester Minor, the madman, who was a contributor of material.
Winchester describes how James Murray chose to use lay readers to help compile the information for the dictionary based on their reading. They would search out words and send him slips with the lexicographical information on them. He would compose the entries based on that information. One of the readers who contributed nearly 10,000 words to the project was Dr. William Chester Minor. Murray never had any contact with him except through the mail. Then, in 1896, he set out to meet his contributor and discovered that he was an insane murderer imprisoned in Broadmoor, an asylum. Winchester spends a large part of the book describing the details of Minot's murder of a man on his way home from work, his earlier life in America where he worked as a doctor during the Civil War, as well as his work on the dictionary. Winchester's book is primarily concerned with describing the unusual relationship between two such different men. | ||
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Plot & Themes job/profession: Job/profession/poverty story Yes Which institution - mental hospital Life in an institution Yes Period of greatest activity? - 1600-1899 Subject of Biography Gender - Male Profession/status: Ethnicity - White Nationality - British Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 2 () Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Century: - 19th century Writing Style If this is a kid's book: - Age 16-Adult Pictures/Illustrations? - More 6-10 B&W How much dialogue in bio? - little dialog How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 51%-75% of book |
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