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Fanny Assingham

19 years ago

or remarkable character names. Fanny is a character in The Golden Bowl by Henry James. I don't know what slang was used at the time he wrote it, but he managed to get three terms for rear end into one name. I wonder if it's meant to say something about the character.

One I'm pretty sure about is the evil aristocrat in Vanity Fair, the Marquis of Steyn. "Mark of stain;" get it? There's a Canadian journalist by the name of Mark Steyn. I wonder if it's a pseudonym, or if his parents were fans of Thackeray. Another name in VF is Becky Sharp; I looked up "Rebecca" in a name book, and it said that it meant "ensnarer." I don't know if that's accurate, but if it is it fits.

Any others?

For addition amusement, some real names:

Comments (4)

  • 19 years ago

    How about Horace Rumpole of 'Rumpole of the Bailey'? I think Horace's personality matches his name, brilliant attorney though he is.

    -The origins of Rumpole of the Bailey lie in "Infidelity Took Place", a Wednesday Play written by John Mortimer and broadcast by the BBC on 18 May 1968. (Wikipedia)-

  • 19 years ago

    Our girls' high school had their 25th reunion recently, and John Mortimer was the speaker. I didn't go as I preferred to hang out with my "naughty" friends and play in the cloakrooms like we used to when we were kids. :-)

    However, I heard that although he's getting on in years, he was a good speaker. Funny too.

  • 19 years ago

    No photo of Liz as she was messing about in the cloakroom. Scroll down.

    Here is a link that might be useful: John Mortimer at Bedord Girl's High School

  • 19 years ago

    Bedford Girls' High School's team nickname is the Hellcats? That would never fly over here-although I can think of some girls' soccer (football) teams against which my DD played that deserved the name!

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