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 Dragons: Episode 141: Spirits of the Deep and Dark - A Dissecting Dragons Hallowe'en Special
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 140: Parody, Farce and Exaggeration - Satire in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 139: That is Illogical - Murderous, Wacky and Wise-cracking AI in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 138: Streetwalkers, Courtesans and Companions - The World's Oldest Profession in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 137: This Year's God - The Human Need for Archetypes
Dissecting Dragons: Ep 135: Grimalkin, Mogget and Mr Kindly - Cats in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 134: Love Ladies Lost! Revisiting Arthurian Legend
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 133: Every Hero Needs a Sam - The Unlikely Best Friend in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 132: Stranger than Fiction - the Weird and Wonderful World of Writing
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 131: Hobbit Holes, Burrows and Secret Lairs - the Concept of Home in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 130: Masked Marauders - Double Lives and Secret Identities in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 129: Marrying in Haste - Young Love in YA Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 128: Neat Little Monsters - The Animal Companion in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 127: Crime & Culpability - Should Characters get what they Really Deserve
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 126: The Slow Death of Literature - What Readers Really Want
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 125: From a Certain Point of View - Multiple POVs, Dual Timelines and Reader Sympathies in Speculative Fiction.
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 124: Visitations and Forebodings - How Nightmares are used in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 123: From the Deep - Mystery, Suspense and Sea Monsters in Historical Fantasy
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 122: Baby Doom - The Stork Visits in Speculative Fiction
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