Many authors can and do have a lot of fun with their characters' names when writing. But is there any purpose behind this other than amusement for the author? SFF writers Jules and Madeleine consider the question, delving into works by authors who have used character names (and other references) to obscurely or obviously signal secondary and tertiary layers of theme in their books. From the outlandish and clearly apparent characters of Roald Dahl to the tongue in cheek but clearly accessible references of J.K.Rowling, to the careful minature work of Jane Austen and the subtler effect of phonic devices found in modern sci-fi and fantasy, the dragons look at 'what's in a name?'
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragon: Episode 83: Spellbinding Songs, Enchanting Tunes & the Magic of Music in Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 82: Incubi, Vampires and Fallen Angels - the Demon Lover in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragon: Episode 81: War! What is it good for... in Storytelling?
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 80: Pivot Points - Historical Moments that changed Everything
Dissecting Dragon: Episode 79: Ouija Boards, Possessed Dolls & Bloody Mary - the Fascination with Supernatural Games
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 78: Portents, Symbols and Future Knowledge - Precognition and Foreshadowing in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragon: Episode 77: Man out of Time - Displaced Protagonists in Speculative Fiction
Disseecting Dragons: Episode 76: From Aslan to Ananda - Religious Allegory in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 75: Labyrinth - Looking at the Mystery of Mazes
Dissecting Dragon: Episode 74: The Sorting Hat and Other Trials - Finding your Tribe in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 73: Sand and Sky - Desert Archetypes in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 72: Maenads, Black Magic & Demon Drink - Addictions in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 71: The Lazarus Effect - Back from the Dead (Again!)
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 70: They Shall take up Serpents - Religious Cults in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Ep 69: When you say Nothing at all - Sparkling Dialogue in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 68: Cautionary Tunes - The Fantasy & History behind Folksongs & Nursery Rhymes
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 67: That Ship has Sailed - Happy Endings, Fan Service & the Appropriate Finale
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 66: Strange Familiarity - the Uncanny in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 65: The Strange Case of Professor Lupin - the Subversive Power of Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 64: Rogues, Renegades and Robin Hood - Our Favourite Outlaws in Speculative Fiction
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