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Literary notes about name (AI summary)

In literature, the word name functions not merely as a label but as a carrier of identity, reputation, and deeper cultural meaning. It can serve as a stand‐in for personal identity—as when the pronoun “I” encapsulates the speaker’s essence [1]—or be imbued with honor and legacy, linking one’s very being to ideals of truth and modesty [2]. Sometimes names shroud mystery, as when a character withholds her own for reasons tied up in societal expectations [3], while in other instances they mark places and institutions or even the transformation of self, such as when a master adopts a title granted by royalty [4] or when a tavern’s moniker captures its spirit [5]. Names are also potent in religious, epic, and symbolic terms—from invoking divine authority [6] to sustaining an individual’s singular identity within the narrative’s social structure [7]. Overall, the word “name” in literature is a versatile device, rich with implications that span personal introspection, communal heritage, and mythic resonance.
  1. In “ I am ready,” the pronoun I is a convenient substitute for the speaker’s name.
    — from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge
  2. "For this,"—said Dronacharjya,—"Fame Shall sound thy praise from sea to sea, And men shall ever link thy name With Self-help, Truth, and Modesty."
    — from Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan by Toru Dutt
  3. “For her name,” replied the damsel, “as yet I may not tell it; but she is a lady of worship and great lands.
    — from The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights by Sir James Knowles and Sir Thomas Malory
  4. The master was called “The Butter King,” and always wrote himself down so; the name had been given to him by Louis XV.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  5. A year later it had migrated to Broadway under the name of the Gentlemens' coffee house and tavern.
    — from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers
  6. That appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty: and my name ADONAI I did not shew them.
    — from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete
  7. When Mortimer told me your name he could not deny your identity.
    — from The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

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