Sir, While I deplore the appalling decline in writing standards, which is evident any day of the week in the pages of any of our national newspapers, this language abuse usually seems to pass, if not unnoticed, at least without comment by our English academics. Yet Christopher Murray of the Department of English at UCD (letters, February 18th) sees fit to carp at the Gate Theatre advertisement for Waiting for Godot in your newspaper.
He takes exception to the Guardian for speaking of an "undoubted highlight", to Newsday for exhorting us to "think serious bliss" and to the Wall Street Journal for informing us that this Godot is "wonderous" (sic), pointing out to us the "odious misspelling". This is the kind of excessive fastidiousness up with which we should not put. It's enough to give a pedant a bad name.
Incidentally, the Wall Street Journal is quoted in the Gate Theatre advertisement, in my copies of your newspaper, as saying: "This Godot is wondrous". Aw c'mon, professor, give us a break! - Yours, etc.,
Seapoint,
Co Dublin.