“Literary” names

What makes a name literary? I see this description often but Im not really sure what it means. So theres a character in a book with that name? Do they have to be the hero to get this description? Does it need to be a more classic work or just well known?

Thoughts?

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For me, it’s usually if it comes from a work that’s classic - and though it’s subjective, I have to personally link the name to an author, poet, or character. Shakespearean names often strike me as very literary because that’s where I usually first encountered them - say, [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], [name_m]Benvolio[/name_m], [name_m]Horatio[/name_m], [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] etc. As I say, though, it’s very subjective because I’d consider [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] as literary name because of [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] Snowe from the novel [name_f]Villette[/name_f] but I’m not sure it’s as obvious, say, as [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] or [name_f]Juliet[/name_f].
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] that ramble helps in some way

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Names that I consider to be literary are either well-known characters’ names (like [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], [name_f]Wendy[/name_f], [name_m]Fitzwilliam[/name_m] or Huckleberry) or authors’ names (or rather surnames), like [name_f]Brontë[/name_f], [name_u]Austen[/name_u], [name_u]Yeats[/name_u], [name_u]Alcott[/name_u]. I do think it’s very subjective, but to me literary names are somewhat distinct names where you immediately think of the character, i.e. it’s likely that your only association for [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] is Shakespeare’s character, whereas I wouldn’t immediately think of [name_u]Anne[/name_u] as a literary name even though it absoulutely is (e.g. [name_u]Anne[/name_u] of [name_u]Green[/name_u] Gables). It doesn’t have to be the protagonist, but in most cases I’d say “literary” names come from well-known classic works of art. However, as time goes on I think more names from books of our time will become “literary” names, like [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] from [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m], which is a modern classic.

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A name that either has a famous literary namesake (Ophelia, [name_f]Mathilda[/name_f], [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] but also [name_u]Hazel[/name_u] and [name_m]Augustus[/name_m], for example) or is used a lot in literature in general and which I associate with a specific character (Charlotte, [name_m]Edmund[/name_m], [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Jane[/name_f], Henry).

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I agree that it’s a bit of a vague description since technically most names appear in books. You would probably have a harder time finding a name that doesn’t appear in any book. But I think for a name to be considered literary, it has to appear in a well-known book (especially a book considered a “classic”) and the character has to be somewhat known to the general public.

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I think it’s any name that appears in a book that means something to you! I do consider more names literary when they come from a well-known and critically enjoyed novel or aged classic than if they come from a modern rom-com (but that may just be because I read significantly more of the former). [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f], [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], [name_f]Phebe[/name_f] & [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f], [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], [name_f]Ramona[/name_f], [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_u]Anne[/name_u], etc. Then of course there’s also [name_u]Hazel[/name_u], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], etc. from a more recent crowd! And then of course there are the authors! I think literary names definitely include [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Louisa[/name_f], [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_u]Austen[/name_u], [name_u]Alcott[/name_u], [name_u]Henry[/name_u], [name_m]Walden[/name_m], [name_u]Poe[/name_u], etc. just based upon authors and titles. What a lovely way to honor a worrier whose work is meaningful to you, I think. :relaxed:

In short… “name used in a piece that I love” or “writer of a work I love” is a literary name to me!

xx

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