I know OSC talks about character names at some length (in fact I have "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" literally right next to me at the moment and I can quote the specific lines if I had to) and that the names have to be apporpriate for the character (i.e., someone Scottish isn't likely to have a Japanese surname).
But what about alien characters who grew up in a society dominated by a culture that would be alien to them?
(I suppose the use of the word "alien" can apply to both the traditional and extraterrestrial sense in this case, since it doesn't matter - the dilemma is very much there in either case).
For example, I have an alien character, and I gave that character an Anglo-Saxon first name and surname, because the society that character grew up in is such that everyone is likely to have Anglo-Saxon first names and surnames, even though that character is far from being Anglo-Saxon. Is this an appropriate course of action or should I revise my name for that character?
Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :
I don't think I have enough information.
If you have an American Indian living in 1700's England, he might be called Edward Roxbury -- something impossibly English, to emphasize how inappropriate the name is. Or you might call him Tsila-ga-yi or something. Of course, any name is going to have overtones independent of ethnicity. Bertha Grundy and Sarah St. Trewes are both Anglo names (I think), but they conjure different pictures.
Posted by pantros (Member # 3237) on :
Anytime you go outside the expectations of the reader, you must explain with a valid, story-world driven, reason.
Sure you can do it, but make sure we understand why it was done in such an unusual manner.
Posted by Inkwell (Member # 1944) on :
It would depend largely on the age and knowledge of the character...whether or not he's old enough to know his 'true' name when he comes to live with this alien culture. If, say, he arrived before this age of self-knowledge (i.e., Superman/Kal-El), he would likely be named by the adoptive parents/family (Kal-El > Clark Kent). In a nutshell...this issue is largely situational.
Inkwell ----------------- "The difference between a writer and someone who says they want to write is merely the width of a postage stamp." -Anonymous
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I don't see why not. I recall Tolkien justifying the Norse names he gave his dwarves by saying they had a name they gave everybody, and a true name whispered to them that they never even had carved on their tombs.
So an alien having a flamboyantly Anglo-Saxon name should be acceptable...provided the explanation is, too. (And spell checking will never bother you about it, either...)