names and echoes
May. 31st, 2015 11:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marycatelliWas loosely thinking about a conceivable story -- a steampunkish version of the adventures of Odysseus -- and about names.
Sometimes when you want to call back to a story, you can use names. But which ones vary depending on how heavily you want to lay it on. For Arthurian you could use Arthur, Linnet, Elaine, and even Guinevere, though perhaps she ought to become Jennifer, as the name did, just as it might be wiser to have Gavin rather than Gawain -- and Nimue, Lancelot and Galahad are pushing the danger zone for subtlety.
Whether the hero is Odysseus or Ulysseus, it's impossible for the reference to be subtle. And there are no alternative forms of the names that tone it down. Like the rest of the names. Except for Helen and Penelope and Cassandra, the whole slew of both epics' names shout the reference.
Ah, well, you can't always use any given thing to echo.
Sometimes when you want to call back to a story, you can use names. But which ones vary depending on how heavily you want to lay it on. For Arthurian you could use Arthur, Linnet, Elaine, and even Guinevere, though perhaps she ought to become Jennifer, as the name did, just as it might be wiser to have Gavin rather than Gawain -- and Nimue, Lancelot and Galahad are pushing the danger zone for subtlety.
Whether the hero is Odysseus or Ulysseus, it's impossible for the reference to be subtle. And there are no alternative forms of the names that tone it down. Like the rest of the names. Except for Helen and Penelope and Cassandra, the whole slew of both epics' names shout the reference.
Ah, well, you can't always use any given thing to echo.