Interview: On Names Of His Characters

Abstract

[This interview was recorded on June 29, 1959, at Berkeley, Oalifornia. The interviewee is George R. Stewart (indicated below by the initial S). The interviewer is Joseph M. Backus (indicated below by the letter I). The original interview has been edited, and the final text has been checked by Mr. Stewart for accuracy. This is the second such interview to appear in Names, the first having been with O. S. Forester (Vol. 1, [1953], 'P'P. 245 to 251) J. I. :Mr.Stewart, the readers of Names know your work on place names and other actual names. But, as a novelist, you have also worked with character names. Can you tell me how many novels you have written? S. That's an easy question for a first one. I have written seven novels. I. Can you give me an idea how many character names in all you have originated in your novels? S. Just for a very quick estimate, I should say that I might have applied at least two hundred fictional names for characters, and in addition there would be perhaps half as many names for animals, ships, and especially for places. I. You have probably made up more place names than most novelists have. Wouldn't you say so? S. Yes, I suppose that has been something of a specialty of mine, probably because I have been particularly interested in place names. I. I remember you have also named storms, forest fires, years and probably some other inanimate objects as well. But before considering such names, I would like to ask about the names of human characters. In looking over your novels, I have found that Doctor's Oral contains what I suspect to be the largest number of character names forty. Have you used any more than that in anyone of your other novels? S. I should think that there would be mOle in Fire and The Years of the Oity and certainly so, if you count names of places. I. In any case since, in dealing with academic life, Doctor' 8 Oral comes close to your own experience I should imagine its character names would have to have been chosen in a way that would insure their not being identified with actual persons. To achieve this end, was any system of coinage used for these names? S. I should not say that there was any actual system used. I took care with the unpleasant characters to have names which probably either did not exist or would be very lare. For instance, with Professor Martiness I made up a name which as far as I know does not exist, but which in my mind was a kind of combination of Martin and Martinez. It was also suitable enough, because of being thus made up, it was a somewhat exotic name for an exotic character. I. Another unlike able faculty member, Professor Brice, however, bears an actual surname that is not uncommon. Did this name cause the character to be identified with any real person?