DISCUSSION QUESTIONS The Professor and the Madman |
1. Who
is Dr. W.C. Minor? How do you first come to know him at the beginning
of The Professor and the Madman? What role does he play in the "Lambeth
Tragedy?"
2. Who
is James Murray? How would you characterize his early interest in
philology? How does Murray come to work on the Oxford English
Dictionary? What was the initial projection of how long the O.E.D. would
take to complete?
3. How
does Dr. Minor's madness first reveal itself? How do his experiences in
Ceylon, at the Battle of the Wilderness, and in Florida relate to his
condition? What are some of the symptoms of his illness? How would you
describe his personality?
4. What
did you think of the elaborate process of creating the Oxford English
Dictionary? Was it easy to visualize? Did it surprise you to learn that
in the end more than 6 million slips with definitions were submitted by
volunteers?
5. How
would you describe Dr. Minor's life at the asylum? How did he have
access to books? What unusual visitor helped him in this respect? What
aspects of his situation at the asylum did you find especially unusual?
According to the author, how might Dr. Minor have learned of the
creation of the O.E.D.?
6. How
does his work on the O.E.D. change Dr. Minor's personality? How does it
impact his madness? What are some of the ideas and rumors about Minor
that float around the Scriptorium, where the O.E.D. is being written and
edited?
7. How
does Murray first learn of Dr. Minor's status as a criminally insane
asylum inmate? How does Murray eventually come to know Minor? How would
you describe their relationship? What aspects of their interaction lead
you to this assessment?
8. How
does Dr. Minor injure himself while he is at Broadmoor? How did you
interpret this act? Do you agree with the author that his dismemberment
was an attempt to purge himself of "unsavory" thoughts and deeds? How
does the arrival of Dr. Brayn change the living conditions at Broadmoor
for Dr. Minor?
9. What
elements of this story did you find especially harrowing, fascinating,
bewildering, surprising? Did you feel sympathetic toward Dr. Minor? Were
you surprised at the strong bond that developed between him and James
Murray? |
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