Thursday 9 February 2012

A proud day

I've always wanted to get a letter into Pedantry Corner in Private Eye (it used to be called Pedant's Corner until some pedants said it should be Pedants' Corner), and I've finally managed it.

Someone wrote in last time to correct an error: a contributor wrote Bingham when they meant Bingley, the character in Pride and Prejudice. Unfortunately, the letter added a mistake: spelling the Bennet family's surname as Bennett.

I'm a bit torn: I'm proud to be in Pedantry Corner. But is it really pedantic to insist on getting the names right for one of the most famous novels in the English language? I correct them all the time in essays…

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