Archetypal name
Archetypal names are proper names of real, mythological, or fictional characters that have become designations for archetypes of certain personal traits.[1] They are a form of antonomasia.
Archetypal names are a literary device used to allude to certain traits of a character or a plot.[1]
Literary critic Egil Törnqvist mentions possible risks in choosing certain names for literary characters. For example, if a person is named Abraham, it is uncertain whether the reader will be hinted of the biblical figure or Abraham Lincoln, and only the context provides the proper understanding.[1]
Archetypal names for persons
- Bruce, a male hairdresser or interior designer[2]
- Nanook, an Eskimo[3]
- Tex, a cowboy[2]
- Hanako, an archetypal Japanese name for girls.[4]
- Jeeves, an archetypal name for a butler.[citation needed]
Archetypal names for groups
A name may also be an identifier of a social group, an ethnicity, nationality, or geographical locality.[1]
Some of the names below may also be used as ethnic slurs.
- Irishmen: Paddy, from Saint Patrick, the patron of Ireland[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Egil Törnqvist (2004) "Eugene O'Neill: A Playwright's Theatre", ISBN 0-7864-1713-7, Chapter 8: "Personal Names and Words of Address"
- ^ a b Handy, B.; Swaeny, G. (2003-08-18), The Summer of Bruce, Time Magazine, retrieved 2008-03-10
- ^ "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow". arf.ru. Archived from the original on 22 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Takeda Hiroko (2004) "The Political Economy of Reproduction in Japan", ISBN 0-415-32190-5