Edith Thompson (Ditte) Character Analysis in The Dictionary of Lost Words

Edith Thompson is an English historian living in Bath at the turn of the 20th century. After the death of her friend, Lily Nicoll, Edith acts as godmother to Lily’s young daughter Esme, who calls her Ditte. Based on a historical figure of the same name, Ditte makes prolific contributions to Dr. Murray’s Dictionary project as a volunteer, sending in quotations and definitions. Ditte and her sister Beth are both unmarried, but they’re well-respected academics in their fields. Ditte frequently corresponds with Da and supports Esme throughout her life, encouraging her to pursue her passions and live the life she desires.

Edith Thompson (Ditte) Quotes in The Dictionary of Lost Words

The The Dictionary of Lost Words quotes below are all either spoken by Edith Thompson (Ditte) or refer to Edith Thompson (Ditte). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“Every woman wants to be married, Essymay.”

“If that’s true, then why isn’t Ditte married, or her sister? Why not Elsie or Rosfrith or Eleanor Bradley? Why not you?”

“Not all women get the chance. And some…well, some are just brought up with too many books and too many ideas, and they can’t settle to it.”

“I don’t think I could settle to it, Lizzie.”

[…]

“What do you want?”

“I want things to stay as they are. I want to keep sorting words and understanding what they mean. I want to get better at it and be given more responsibility, and I want to keep earning my own money. I feel as though I’ve only begun to understand who I am. Being a wife or a mother just doesn’t fit.”

Related Characters: Lizzie Lester (speaker), Esme Nicoll (speaker), Eleanor Bradley, Bill Taylor, Edith Thompson (Ditte), Rosfrith Murray, Elsie Murray

Page Number and Citation: 163

Explanation and Analysis:

After Esme learns it is too late to terminate her pregnancy, she discusses her options with Lizzie, who advises her to contact Bill. Esme retorts that she doesn’t love Bill and doesn’t want to get married. Lizzie’s assertion that “[e]very woman wants to be married” indicates she subscribes to the dominant social narrative that women are dependent upon men. That Esme is able to reference so many independent adult women speaks to the ways conventional notions of womanhood are gradually changing. It also showcases the importance of surrounding oneself with a supportive community. That said, it is worth noting that, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut m

You are not a coward, Esme. It pains me to think that any young woman would think such a thing because she is not being brutalised for her convictions. […] If you want to be useful, keep doing what you have always done. You once made the observation that some words were considered more important than others because they were written down. You were arguing that by default the words of educated men were more important than the words of uneducated classes, women among them. Do what you are good at, my dear Esme: keep considering the words we use and record. […] Without realising it, you are already working for this cause.

Related Characters: Edith Thompson (Ditte) (speaker), Esme Nicoll, Emmeline Pankhurst, Tilda Taylor

Related Symbols: The Scriptorium, Trunk

Page Number and Citation: 238

Explanation and Analysis:

Ditte writes to Esme on her 28th birthday and responds to her goddaughter’s questions about the suffragettes and their militant tactics of protest. In this passage, Ditte rebuffs Esme’s fear that she is a coward because she has not taken such extreme action for the cause of suffrage. Ditte’s insistence that there are other ways of making a difference without “being brutalised for her convictions” once again juxtaposes various forms of activism. While Emmeline Pankhurst and Tilda prioritize social disruption as the best means for achieving change, Ditte encourages Esme to “keep doing what [she] has always done” through her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad t

I remembered lily. Back then, I had thought that if I saved the word something of my mother would be remembered. It was not my place to erase what war meant to Phyllis Campbell; what it was to those Belgian women. Among the propaganda of glory, and the men’s experiences of the trenches and death, something needed to be known of what happened to women. I returned to my desk, opened Back of the Front and began again. Once more, I forced each terrible sentence from my trembling pen.

If war could change the nature of men, it would surely change the nature of words, I thought.

Related Characters: Esme Nicoll (speaker), Dr. James Murray, Harry Nicoll (Da), Edith Thompson (Ditte), Gareth Owen, Lily Nicoll (Mamma)

Related Symbols: The Scriptorium

Page Number and Citation: 304

Explanation and Analysis:

Ditte sends Esme a copy of Phyllis Campbell’s Back of the Front, a memoir of Campbell’s time serving as a nurse in France during the ongoing World War I. Esme creates new slips for the word war using Campbell’s quotations, but she becomes overwhelmed by the horror they describe and throws them into the fire. In this passage, she remembers how Da did the same to the slip with lily written on it. His actions distressed Esme, who “thought that if [she] saved the word something of my mother would be remembered.” Here as in other moments, the novel examines Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesen

Edith Thompson (Ditte) Character Timeline in The Dictionary of Lost Words

The timeline below shows where the character Edith Thompson (Ditte) appears in The Dictionary of Lost Words. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...The next day, they look up service in the Scriptorium. These cards were sorted by Edith—Esme’s godmother, who she calls Aunty Ditte. The definitions do not explain the differences between Esme... (full context)

...a Dr. Johnson. Dr. Murray thanks those who have contributed to his dictionary, including Aunty Ditte and Da. Afterward, Da and Esme flip through the leather volume holding A and B,... (full context)

Aunty Ditte arrives. She lives in Bath with her sister and has no children of her own,... (full context)

Ditte gives Esme her two traditional birthday gifts: a book and a story. This year’s book... (full context)

...these. The other box contains general correspondence. Over the years, Esme takes letters from Aunty Ditte that mention her in some way. Lizzie willingly looks after Esme’s secrets as long as... (full context)

...consult the Dictionary sections that are published but must ask Da to search the pigeon-holes. Ditte sends Esme a card containing a “superfluous” word, meaning it is unnecessary. Though the word... (full context)

Da receives a letter from Ditte but doesn’t share it with Esme. Days later, Esme reads the letter in his closet.... (full context)

...prizes. In the new year, she will attend Cauldshiels School for Young Ladies in Scotland. Ditte says the school will prepare her for whatever she wants to do. Esme dreads leaving... (full context)

...empty. It is the same, but Esme has changed. Esme steals an unopened letter from Ditte addressed to Dr. Murray and looks through Ditte’s latest Dictionary proofs in Lizzie’s room. Esme... (full context)

The narrative provides the text of Ditte’s response to Esme’s letter. Ditte is surprised to hear that Esme wants her to tutor... (full context)

...The Scriptorium looks like a regular shed rather than a genie’s lamp. Inside, Esme places Ditte’s letter on the sorting table and lights her candle. She searches the pigeon-holes for specific... (full context)

...to beg him to let her stay in Oxford but does not. The next day, Ditte arrives, saying Esme can attend the Oxford High School for Girls, where they should have... (full context)

Ditte writes to Esme, worried about Esme’s continued depression and avoidance of her beloved Scriptorium. She... (full context)

...Delegates that is likely bad news about funding. There is a letter for Esme from Ditte, to whom she hasn’t spoken for three years. Ditte has heard Esme is excelling at... (full context)

...child, blaming her childish theft for being sent to Cauldshiels. Esme has come to put Ditte’s slip in the trunk and search for bondmaid. When she finds it, Esme realizes it... (full context)

In her reply, Ditte is grateful to hear from Esme directly, having corresponded with Da and Dr. Murray about... (full context)

...glib comment about falling in love with Esme, who is speechless. Later, a letter from Ditte explains Dr. Murray’s formula for determining which words are included in the Dictionary. Ditte believes... (full context)

...definitions. He asks her to follow up on a variant of pencil that is giving Ditte some trouble: lip-pencil. (full context)

...keep on her career path, feeling she is just now understanding herself. Esme writes to Ditte, who plans to retrieve her from Oxford, emphasizing how common it is for women to... (full context)

Two weeks after Ditte visits Oxford, Da sees Esme off on the train to Bath. He hasn’t said much... (full context)

...Brooks’s bluntness, which reminds her of Tilda. When she can’t hide her belly from visitors, Ditte sends Esme on research errands to various archives with a false wedding ring so no... (full context)

...sing. She has avoided thinking of the pregnancy’s end but now understands this was always Ditte’s plan. Esme has no word for her feelings, though she has begun to love the... (full context)

One Tuesday, Esme’s water breaks, sending Ditte and Beth into a panic. Luckily, Sarah arrives for tea and confirms that everything is... (full context)

...in the Dictionary—and she thinks that she loves Her, not Bill. Meanwhile, Da writes to Ditte about Esme’s obvious depression. Ditte arranges for Esme to stay at a Shropshire cottage with... (full context)

...were less disruptive. Neither Lizzie nor Esme thinks they are brave enough to starve themselves. Ditte writes to Esme on her 28th birthday. She encloses a book on women’s rights by... (full context)

...the infirmary, he is gone. Esme stays with Lizzie, unable to face her empty house. Ditte writes that she is coming to Oxford and encourages Esme to feel her grief. After... (full context)

...develops a cough, reducing his hours in the Scriptorium. Esme opens letters from volunteers like Ditte and soldiers fighting in France, who use Dictionary work as a distraction. (full context)

...married the day after he finishes officers’ training. Mrs. Murray photographs Esme with her daughters, Ditte, and Lizzie. Staff from the Scriptorium and Press attend the ceremony. Esme mostly remembers her... (full context)

...Esme feels the war will surely alter the English language. In a letter to Esme, Ditte confesses she still writes to Da. She has pressed the flowers from Esme’s wedding and... (full context)

In August 1928, Ditte writes to 21-year-old Megan Brooks. Sarah Brooks died some years ago. Now, Ditte delivers the... (full context)

Edith Thompson (Ditte) Character Analysis

Edith Thompson (Ditte) Quotes in The Dictionary of Lost Words

Part 3, Chapter 4: December 1906 Quotes

Part 4, Chapter 4: May 1909 Quotes

Part 5, Chapter 2: May 1915 Quotes

Edith Thompson (Ditte) Character Timeline in The Dictionary of Lost Words