This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for Unusual Character Names.
1) Charles Dickens had some of the best character names in literature. A few of my favorites:Pumblechook, Chuzzlewit, Stiltstalking, Fezziwig, and Honeythunder
2) Kilgore Trout from Kurt Vonnegut’s novels
3) Menolly from Anne McCaffrey’s dragon series.
4) Almost everyone in the Hunger Games series (Katniss, Peeta, etc.)
5) Briony from Atonement
6) Philleas Fogg from Around the World in Eighty Days
7) Major Major from Catch-22
8) Hepzibah from Harry Potter (there are lots in HP, but this is a weird one)
9) Humbert Humbert from Lolita
10) Starbuck from Moby Dick; the coffee chain is actually named after him.
12 comments:
Great list!! I do not know many of these names and did not really remember others ;)
It is great to get some ideas from other peoples lists!
OK I've read HP a billion times but I don't remember Hepzibah. Was I asleep?
I just got through reading A Christmas Carol 2: The Return of Scrooge by Robert Elisberg. Chuzzlewit was a character in the book.
The Hunger Games definitely has some odd names.
Hope you'll pay me a visit at http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2013/10/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-character-names.html
Ha! Catch 22 has some great ones. Neal Stephenson has a book, Snow Crash, and the main character is named Hiro Protagonist. Greatness.
Some great names on there that I wouldn't have thought of. You could probably make a whole list of just Dickens' characters! Your'e halfway there already!
Wackford Squeers from Nicholas Nickleby might be my favorite. :-)
-Jay
Yes, yes, to anything from Harry Potter. Also, I love that you included Menolly! I FELT for her so much in those books.
Great list!
Ciska van der Lans - There are some crazy literary names!
Sandy - I probably would have forgotten it too if I hadn't just reread it. Hepzibah is the old lady that Voldemort visits in the 6th book. She owns the Hufflepuff cup and is a very minor character.
Cheryl - I've never heard of A Christmas Carol 2. I may have to check that out.
Nikki - Bahaha, that's such a great character name!
bibliophilica - Wackford Squeers, oh my gosh. That's fantastic!
Cecelia - Menolly is such a wonderful character. She made me want to have a pet dragon.
Dickens certainly has some amazing names - Mr Pumblechook is definitely one of my faves! I do love Kilgore Trout too. Great list :)
Andy Estrada - There are some crazy ones out there!
Ellie - Thanks. It's funny how a few of those names really stick with you.
I'd actually heard of Hepzibah before reading Harry Potter. I think those books popularized (and familiarized Americans with the pronunciation of) Hermione.
Queequeeg from Moby Dick is pretty unusual. Both he and his name!
Jeanne - I had no idea how to pronounce Hermione before the HP books.
Bybee - Queequeeg is such a good one! He was such a strange character.
Post a Comment