Message: "Re: Algernon?" - Behind the Name

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[Opinions] Re: Algernon?

by Violet Serene (heron)

6/16/2009, 6:04 PM

in reply to a message by Anthroponomastics

I think it's fantastic, but it's not my style at all. I LOVE the meaning. I've used it on a story character (who had a moustache of walrus proportions).
I say AL-jer-non. I suppose your 1st one would be more correct given the name's French origins.

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- Anthroponomastics +4

6/16/2009, 6:07 PM

That's cool that you've used it on a guy with a forest for a moustache. Makes sense. Was he some weird Civil War veteran?

- Violet Serene (heron) +3

6/16/2009, 6:07 PM

Actually no, he was a primary school teacher! lol.

- Anthroponomastics +2

6/16/2009, 6:11 PM

Whoa. Did his students make fun of him?
No, I just thought he'd be a civil war vet because the generals and other rich men had pretty huge moustaches then. So, my initial thought was, is Algernon's middle name Ulysses? As in Ulysses S. Grant?

- Violet Serene (heron) +1

6/16/2009, 6:49 PM

Lol no they didn't actually, he wasn't really a main character. He was the teacher of my main character (a girl called Justine) whose brother went missing. A psychic contacted Justine's family claiming to know about the missing kid, and Algernon (Mr Inglefinger - I actually collected that LN from a real person!) debunked the whole idea of psychics for Justine. He was a cool character, the sort of teacher who talks to their students like equals. Justine thought he was awesome and loved his name (she always said 'Algernon' in her head when she said Mr Inglefinger).

Ulysses would be an awesome mn though...maybe I can edit the story to put that in!

- Anthroponomastics

6/18/2009, 4:15 AM

Algernon Inglefinger...sounds like a character Charles Dickens created...

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