The Dictionary of Lost Words

The Dictionary of Lost Words 

  - Pip Williams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the most beautiful books I have read in quite a while (though the fact that I have been binging on murder mysteries may have something to do with this lack of lovely books in my repertoire). I find it more difficult to write about a book I loved than one I disliked or hated. Perhaps because it is easier to criticize and vent out your frustrations? Whereas, describing your love is tougher because you are afraid that you will never have adequate words to capture how you feel?

I had never imagined I could be enchanted by a story about compiling – yes, a dictionary, of all the things! One major thread in this book is what went into the creation of the first Oxford English Dictionary. It serves as an anchor for the stories about challenges faced by women at the time, but could be true today, just in a different form. It is about empowerment, listening to the voice of the marginalized people, and about love and life in general.

Some of the characters in the book are authentic, the most significant being James Murray, a lexicographer and philologist, who was the primary editor of the OED. He built a shed he called Scriptorium besides his home, where he and his assistants carried out most of the work for the dictionary. I was fascinated to learn of the amount of research and discussion that went into defining each word, from collecting the contributions from volunteers across the world, authenticating the sources, vetting duplicates, researching the citations to editing the entries, reviewing the proofs and finally printing the volumes. It was not decades of back-breaking work, it was truly a labor of love. And I feel, more so for the women assistants who worked in unofficial capacity, for the love of the language or the love of the men of their family who were the official editors - the women whose contributions were never recognized.

The protagonist (fictional character) is Esme, a young motherless girl whose father works for Dr Murray, and who grows up in this environment, developing a love for words and for knowledge from an early age. She is enamored of words; she collects the slips of words from the Scriptorium, that are forgotten or rejected, and saves them like a treasure. And as she collects these words, she ponders and questions, and in the process, develops a deep insight into the ways of the world. The questions that she raises are pertinent, and I must admit, had never been considered by me from this perspective.

Are some words more important than others? Why should be a word that has been used in text, even if at a rare handful of places, more significant than those that have only been used in verbal communication and are quite common? Doesn't this inherently disqualify a part of the vocabulary of people who didn't have an opportunity to read or write - the poor people, and the women? Why is a word quoted in an obscure text more important than the ones routinely used by newspapers? Why does a gibberish word used once by a famous writer carry more weight than another logical one used by someone who is not well known? Will the words that are omitted by the dictionary be condemned to be lost forever?

So, Esme decides to collect and preserve the words used by the marginalized and create her own dictionary of lost words. But she realizes the impracticality of compiling all such words, and focuses on the ones that are used by or for women. During this undertaking, she realizes that the inequalities faced by women go far deeper than the right to vote or right to earn a degree. However, she has caring family and friends around her, who encourage her to forge her own path. I loved the character of her father, who nurtures her intellect and unconditionally supports her. And her godmother, who is a guiding light in her life. And Lizzie, a maid not much older than herself, who gives her unbound love. And this, I feel, is what empowerment means.

I was enchanted by the way the story is told ... it feels almost magical. The story itself is poignant and thought provoking. What I didn't like about it is that the "lost" words that were specifically cited were mostly vulgar ones. Even though a context is presented and makes sense, I would have liked to read more about some other common words like knackered. And there are times when the sadness, real or perceived, keeps on washing in waves and makes it too melancholy.