Literary notes about Appellation (AI summary)
In literature, “appellation” goes beyond the function of a mere name, serving as a label laden with cultural, historical, or emotional significance. Writers use it to illustrate a character’s lineage or an entity’s distinctiveness, as when a historical figure gains an enigmatic title that hints at hidden qualities [1] or when a specific marching formation is identified by a term that vividly conveys its inherent order [2]. At the same time, appellation can express personal sentiment or honor, seen in instances where a beloved moniker stirs deep affection [3] or when it underscores the inadequacy of previously experienced emotions [4]. Thus, the term operates as a versatile literary device, imbuing a simple name with rich, contextual layers that enhance both character and narrative.
- Theophanes introduces the strange appellation of —————, which his interpreter Goar explains by Vizir Azem.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - They followed their leader singly, and in that well-known order which has obtained the distinguishing appellation of “Indian file.”
— from The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper - My friend is still so kind as to address me by that old and well beloved appellation, which makes my heart glad when I hear it.”
— from Twenty years after by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - I reached the age of twenty-nine without loving, for none of the feelings I before then experienced merit the appellation of love.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
