Harryette Mullen · 2002 · EPUB · Calibre ID 5096
Resurfaced in Cento, Copy, Dictionary (2026-09-24).
Role in the triad
The dictionary: the reference work as partner rather than pathology; the emptied cliché.
Why this book
Takes the reference book back from Flaubert’s pathology. Mullen writes with the dictionary and thesaurus as collaborators, in alphabetical order. In ‘Elliptical’ she empties Flaubert’s stock-phrase device and keeps only the frame. Like Burton’s, hers is night-work.
Quotations
Verified against the book’s own text on the day of the reading.
- “Any exit from the logic of language might be an entry in a symptomatic dictionary.” (Sleeping with the Dictionary)
- “In the dark night’s insomnia, the book is a stimulating sedative, awakening my tired imagination to the hypnagogic trance of language.” (ibid.)
- “The alphabetical order of this ample block of knowledge might render a dense lexicon of lucid hallucinations.” (ibid.)
- “This dream is not a map. A poem is not the territory.” (Exploring the Dark Content)
- “They just can’t seem to … They should try harder to …” (Elliptical)
- “My honeybunch’s peepers are nothing like neon.” (Dim Lady)
Themes
abecedarian · cliché · constraint · dictionary · eros of language · night · thesaurus