Willa Cather | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Axel

November 6, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Danish version of “Absalom”, from the Hebrew, meaning “my father is peace”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Acke, Aksel, Akseli, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Axel Kronborg, one of Thea’s rambunctious younger brothers in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Axel Jensen (1932-2003), Norwegian author.
– Axel Munthe (1857-1949), Swedish author, physician, and psychiatrist.

Thor

November 6, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Norse, meaning “thunder”, from the god of strength, war, and thunder.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Tor. And . . . that’s all, really.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Thor Kronborg, Thea’s youngest brother and special charge until she leaves Moonstone for Chicago in order to study music, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), Norwegian adventurer and writer.

Juan

November 6, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Spanish form of “John“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ganix, Jan, Joan, Juanito, Xuan, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Juan Tellamantez (called “Spanish Johnny“), a talented guitar player, one of the Mexican workmen who befriend Thea in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Juan Andrés y Morell (1740-1817), Spanish Jesuit author, critic, humanist, and priest..
– Juan José Arreola (1918-2001), Mexican humorist and writer.
– Juan Benet (1927-1993), Spanish writer.
– Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958), Spanish poet.
– Juan Antonio Llorente (1756-1823), Spanish historian and writer.
– Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (1282-1348), Spanish writer.
– Juan Francisco Manzano (1797-1854), Cuban author.
– Juan Montalvo (1832-1889), Ecuadorian author and essayist.
– Juan Carlos Onetti (1909-1994), Uruguayan novelist and short story writer.
– Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita (ca. 1283-ca. 1350), Spanish poet.
– Juan Perez Rulfo (1918-1986), Mexican novelist and short story writer.
– Juan Luis Vives (1493-1540), Spanish humanist, scholar, and writer.
– Juan Rodolfo Wilcock (1919-1978), Argentinian critic, poet, translator, and writer.

Thea

November 6, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Althea”, “Dorothea” / “Dorothy“, “Theodora”, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Dora, Dorit, Dosia, Dottie, Dotty, Tea, Teja, Tiia, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Thea Kronborg, the passionate and gifted protagonist of The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Thea Astley (1925-2004), Australian novelist and short story writer.
– Thea Beckman (1923-2004), Dutch children’s book author.
– Thea Leitner (b. 1921), Austrian author and journalist.
– Thea von Harbou (1888-1954), German actress, director, novelist, and screenwriter.

Howard

November 6, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
An English last name, derived either from the Germanic “Hughard”, meaning “brave heart” or “strong mind”, or from Old Norse, meaning “high guardian” or “watchman”, or from Middle English, meaning “herder of ewes”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Howie. That’s pretty much it.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Dr. Howard Archie, Thea’s old friend and confidante in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Howard Fast (1914-2003), American novelist and television writer who also wrote under the pen names “E.V. Cunningham” and “Walter Ericson”.
– Howard Glyndon (1839-1923), pen name of American columnist, journalist, and poet Laura Redden Searing.
– Howard Harris (1912-1986), American film and television writer.
– Howard Horn (1911-1983), pen name of Cornish biographer, historian, lecturer, novelist, poet, and professor Robert Payne, who also used the pen names “John Anthony Devon”, “Richard Cargoe”, “Robert Young”, and “Valentin Tikhonov”.
– Howard Hille Johnson (1846-1913), American activist, educator, and writer.
– Howard Lindsay (1889-1968), American actor, director, librettist, playwright, and producer.
– Howard Phillips (H.P.) Lovecraft (1890-1937), American author.
– Howard Pyle (1853-1911), American author and illustrator.
– Howard Zinn (1922-2010), American activist, author, historian, and playwright.

Jasper

September 15, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Persian, meaning “treasurer”, or referring to the gemstone.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cas, Caspar, Casper, Gaspar, Gaspard, Gaspare, Gasparo, Gaszi, Jas, Jaspar, Jesper, Kaspar, Kasper, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Jasper Flight, a prospector for Dr. Archie’s company, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Jasper Kebby, a local yeoman whose farm neighbors Ridd’s and Snowe’s, though is far less prosperous than either, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).

Bert

August 27, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Albert”, “Herbert“, “Robert“, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bertie, Bertil, Berto, Berty, Burt, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bert Purcel, Royal’s kid brother, in “The Egg-Boy” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Bert Rice, Anna Kronborg’s beau, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Bert Schierbeek (1918-1996), Dutch writer.
– Bert Stiles (1920-1944), American short story writer.
– Bert Sugar (1937-2012), American sports historian and writer.
– Bert Leston Taylor (1866-1921), American author, columnist, humorist, and poet.

Philip

August 21, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
From the Greek “Philippos”, meaning “friend of horses”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Felip, Felipe, Filib, Filip, Filippos, Filippus, Flip, Phil, Phillip, Philippe, Philippos, Pilib, Pip, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Philip Canning, the narrator of “The Portrait” (1885), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant.
– Rev. Mr. Philip Elton, the handsome and seemingly-agreeable vicar of Highbury, who turns out to be rather conceited and inconsiderate, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Philip Frederick Ottenburg (called “Fred“), the dynamic young brewing heir who launches Thea’s operatic career, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Philip K. Dick (1928-1982), American essayist, novelist, philosopher, and short story writer.
– Philip Freneau (1752-1832), American editor, poet, and polemicist.
– Philip Latham (1902-1981), pen name of American astronomer and science fiction author Robert S. Richardson.
– Philip Pullman (b. 1946), British fantasy author and playwright.
– Philip Roth (b. 1933), American novelist.
– Philip Van Doren Stern (1900-1984), American author, editor, and historian.

Tillie

August 18, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Tilly“, diminutive of “Matilda“, meaning “strength in battle” or “mighty battle-maid”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Malta, Mathilda, Mathilde, Matilda, Matilde, Mattie, Matty, Maud, Maude, Maudie, Tilda, Tilde, Tilly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Tillie, Mrs. Rosenfeld’s niece who works in the dining room at Mrs. McKee’s boarding-house, and who is courted by the already-married Mr. Schwitter, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– Tillie Kronborg, Thea’s eccentric aunt and biggest fan, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Tillie Olsen (1912-2011), American activist and writer.

Theodore

August 15, 2014 § 7 Comments

ORIGIN:
From the Greek “Theodoros”, meaning “gift of God”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Fedir, Fedor, Fedya, Feodor, Fyodor, Tad, Taddie, Taddy, Ted, Teddie, Teddy, Tedo, Teo, Teodor, Teodoro, Theo, Theodor, Theodoros, Theodorus, Todor, Toshe, Tudor, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Theodore, Ray Kennedy’s deceased chum, in whose honor he nicknames Thea “Thee”, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Theodore Brocklehurst, one of the children of the formidable and hypocritical supervisor of Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Theodore Ingram (called “Tedo“), Blanche and Mary’s brother, one of the elegant people who make up Mr. Rochester’s social set, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Mr. Theodore Shaffer (known as “Teddy“, and later “Ted“), who found his long-lost ship captain father while working in a paper mill, in “In a Rag-Bag”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

WRITERS:
– Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945), American novelist and journalist.
– Theodore Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), American writer, poet, and cartoonist, most famous for his work under the pen name “Dr. Seuss”.
– Theodore Roethke (1908-1963), American poet.
– Theodore Taylor (1921-2006), American author.
– Theodore H. White (1915-1986), American journalist and historian.

Where Am I?