Literary Onomastics

Literary Onomastics analyzes the namecraft of authors ranging from William Shakespeare to George R. R. Martin, studying how names function and convey meaning in works of literature and in genres including poetry, novels, science fiction, and fantasy.

---

Literary Onomastics surveys different methods of studying names in works of literature and offers representative works of literary onomastic analysis. Included in this volume are qualitative studies that examine select names as well as quantitative studies that examine entire systems of names. These studies of literary names straddle centuries, cross genres, and defy simple categorization. Leading and emerging scholars in this field provide insight into the namecraft of William Shakespeare, Philip Sidney, John Donne, Julia Alvarez, Ursula K. Le Guin, Zadie Smith, George R. R. Martin, and Britain's Rebel Writers. The theories and methods they employ are associated with cultural, linguistic, rhetorical, feminist, and ethnic studies. Collectively, these scholars demonstrate the many approaches available to the study of names and naming practices in literary works. Additionally, they consider how names function in a variety of genres and mediums, including poetry, novels, science fiction, and fantasy.