# Names you know—in fiction!



## Violanthe (Nov 14, 2006)

Have you ever run into a character in a fictional story with your name, or the name of someone you know? Was it distracting to read? Have you ever read a story with a character name for which you had so many preconceptions (whether negative or positive) that it affected your take on the character?


----------



## HLGStrider (Aug 4, 2007)

The closest I've ever come to this was having my theater/drama teacher at the community college have the same name as the tiger in "Life of Pi," a weird sort of book which I enjoyed for the most part. You can read my review here: http://www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider/elgeesbookshelf.htm

But that wasn't very distracting simply because Professor Parker, while he did expose me to some very good theater and gave me some insight into method acting I appreciate, isn't what I would consider a profound influence on my life. None of my college professors particularly were simply because I wasn't in an academic mood during any of my short stint there. I was in more of a sulky why am I here anyway mood. . . In fact, while reading the book I didn't even notice the names being the same. There was sort of a joke in the book that the person who had checked the tiger into the zoo had confused the name of the tiger with the name of the trapper who had captured it so the receipt went "Richard Parker Captured by Hungry" (or something to that extent) and the zoo ran with it. Later, during a drama class, I let a few smiles slip when I saw my teacher's name on instruction material, simply because I thought of the boy on the life raft calling out "Richard Parker! Richard Parker!" to the swimming tiger.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen (Aug 4, 2007)

Patrick is named in the Three Musketeers, he's the Duke of Buckingham's aid in England. And of COURSE!!!! Patrick is Spongebob's best friend haha


----------



## Violanthe (Aug 12, 2007)

I don't run into my name too much in fiction. I read so much fantasy that the names rarely evoke people I know in real life


----------



## HLGStrider (Aug 13, 2007)

In a small way I have always found that I will be more sympathetic to a character whose name has the sound "Matt" in it, mainly because my husband is a Matt. This includes every character from the Mat of _Wheel of Time_ to Matthis the agent in _Casino Royale_. I just can't see a Matt as a bad fellow, though I am sure there are plenty of them. 

Though there are some names that I guess get a better wrap than others in fiction. Off the top of my head I can think of plenty of heroic Matt's (Matthias and Matimo from _Redwall _books, Marshall Matthew Dillon . . .Dylan, Dilon? . . . from Gun Smoke.) but no villian Matt's. David's also get a good reputation except for when referencing the Biblical David's tendency to mess around. . .


----------



## YayGollum (Aug 13, 2007)

Hm. Why didn't I notice this thing before? My name is in some Tolkien story. Torin, some relative of the superly cool Feanor. Unfortunately, he wasn't especially intelligent, and, in some crazy alternate scene, tried to stab Mel with some knife while he and Ungoliant were hanging out at those two creepily glowing trees. Besides horrifyingly common and boring names, I knew an Athena, at one point. She was tragically nothing like the goddess. Sickening Southern accent.


----------



## Persephone (Jul 23, 2008)

Aisling (pronounced Ashling) Darragh, and Oisin (pronounced Oshin) are characters from the book In the Country of the Young. I read it 3 years ago. Fell in love with Ireland because of that book.


----------

