This was a bit of a stressful week; I spent most of it attempting to work on translation project proposals for two novels... while dealing with 12 solid hours of construction noise for four days in a row. As someone who's sensitive to sounds, I had my nerves well and truly jangled. Fortunately, I managed to make some headway on Friday. This task involves finding suitable publishers, then writing an introduction of each author and book that makes the project appealing to them (which requires sounding enthusiastic without appearing to beg for a job). I made the commitment to get all this done by the end of the month. Ha!
In addition, I've been battling what Emma Newman, in the latest episode of her delightful podcast Tea and Sanctuary, called "brain weasels" — i.e. intrusive self-critical thoughts — and, to be honest, more often than not it feels like they're winning. I've also been trying to distract myself as I await medical test results. Fun!
I did manage to finish a couple of books — and oh look, the first is another one set in Oxford!
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams chronicles the making of the Oxford English Dictionary through the life of Esme, first as a young girl hiding under the Scriptorium's sorting table, then in her increasingly integral contribution to the dictionary's contents. Esme's self-appointed "mission" to have the legitimacy of women's speech recognized progresses from word thief (secreting slips and other documents in a trunk under a bed), to word servant, and finally to word preserver.
The story only began to capture my interest about 1/3 of the way through, and I'm so glad I persevered! This is one of the most beautiful and moving novels I've ever read. As well as a powerful ode to women's words and to spoken language, it demonstrates the healing properties of women's company, as Esme forges a number of strong female friendships over the course of her life. Among other things, I loved how it illustrates the differences between prescriptive (elderly white men) and descriptive (often illiterate women from a humble background) approaches to lexicography, and the fact that it also acknowledges that activism can take many shapes, including the selection of word definitions.
In her Author's Note, Pip Williams writes:
"This novel is my attempt to understand how the way we define language might define us. Throughout, I have tried to conjure images and express emotions that bring our understanding of words into question. By putting Esme among the words, I was able to imagine the effect they might have had on her, and the effect she might have had on them."
The other book I finished is The Cooking Manual of Practical Directions for Economical Every-Day Cookery by Juliet Corson, published in 1877. I adore this type of work, even if the advice it gives more often than not proves impractical in my own life. I found it (and many more like it) on Project Gutenberg.