In Semicolon, Cecelia Watson charts the rise and fall of this infamous punctuation mark, which for years was the trendiest one in the world of letters.
Watson is a historian and philosopher of science, and a teacher of writing and the humanities.
Semicolon “brings you on a journey — not only about the Semicolon — but also grammar and punctuation,” said a review in goodreads.com.
“It demonstrates that the English language is one that fluctuates, shifts and develops as a response to its cultural context, suggesting that the ‘rules’ of a language changes similarly instead of being rigid,” it added.
“Filled with short stories about the controversy semicolons have sparked within legal matters, academics and the general public, Watson uncovers where confusion surrounding this punctuation mark arose from,” said the review.
Great writers, Watson says, break the rules that would dole out semicolons as if they were “a controlled substance.” Her message is that punctuation is not about limits; it’s about making language richer.
