A rose by any other name…
The Beckhams brought to public attention the practice of naming your child after where it was conceived - hence Brooklyn. I was in my gym in Kingston and heard a mother call ‘Oriana, come here’ in a loud voice. (Oriana for those not in the know is a cruise ship). This opens up dramatic new opportunities for parental ambition - as well as of course a whole series of logistical challenges. So how about Eiffel, Reichstag or Forum?
Most writers spend a long time thinking of names for their characters, and so can be thrown into paroxysms of indecision by the need to name their own offspring. Teachers are said to face particular difficulties as they have always taught unappealing pupils with the names they most like, so maybe educational writers are doubly handicapped.
The one resource we do have to hand is characters in other people’s books. As a straw poll, within our local reading group, we have two Annas (both inspired by Karenina), two Tesses (both by of the d’Urbervilles), one Emma (Austen) and my own Harriet (Vane, the heroine of Dorothy L Sayers’ wonderful Lord Peter Wimsey stories - but the choice also triggered by a particularly brilliant adaptation for the BBC with Harriet Walter, one of my favourite actresses, playing the part, just before she was born).
Comments
2 Comments on A rose by any other name…
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acb on
23rd Jun 2009 2:10 pm
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Alison Baverstock on
25th Jun 2009 3:20 pm
Just testing to see whether the latest comments appear in the right sidebar.
yes indeed good point
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