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ANS 2021, January 22, 2021

“A Critical Study of Names in MacKinlay Kantor’s Andersonville"
William Turner (Independent Researcher, Arlington, VA)

Names are vital to our understanding and appreciation of MacKinlay Kantor’s epic novel of the Civil War, Andersonville. A dozen or so historical names and many more fictitious ones establish the novel as both a work of fiction and an accurate history of the infamous prison. Commonplace names of prisoners, guards, and locals reflect family lines and naming practices of mid-19th-century America, creating sociological realism. Some of the names hint at personal traits, helping to define character. Names of the enslaved reflect the naming rights of slaveholders in the novel and the practice of listing the enslaved with just one name. Stylistically, names indicate changes in point of view from first person to third person, or from voice to voice, helping to weave the narrative. Names in flashbacks and interior monologues evoke the past and add to the novel’s structural and psychological complexity. Spoken in the dialogue or to oneself, names evoke responses from others and assist in character development. Nicknames and nonce names humorously and ironically describe the bearer and reflect on the conferrer of the name, helping to define relationships. Tom-Dick-and-Harry-type names denote the common man as one of thousands struggling to survive in prison, both widening and narrowing the scope of the novel. Names of cats, dogs, horses, and mules imply an ironic, humane regard for pets at home versus the inhumane treatment of prisoners at Andersonville. Throughout the novel the author draws our attention to the sound and significance of names, warranting a detailed study.

William (Bill) Turner is a former assistant professor of English and a former librarian, and now a professional tour guide. He is a recipient of the ANS Rayburn Award for a best dissertation on names, The Onomastic Art of Etherege (1984). He is a lifelong learner, a teacher, and a scholar.