Arts & Entertainment
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How Authors Named Their Famous Characters
What’s in a name? A lot, apparently! It’s no secret that writers agonize over what to name their characters. It’s for good reason: a name can make or break how audiences remember a character. It has the potential to be truly iconic. Many authors can’t even begin to write until they’ve given each and every person in their book a name. So how does one …
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Where Does The Word “Dracula” Come From?
What comes to your mind when you see or hear the word Dracula? Probably vampires, right? But what about ruthless Romanian royalty … or dragons? It’s time for the story of Dracula—the word. Where does the character Dracula come from? We dress up as vampires on Halloween and watch dramas like True Blood thanks in large part to Irish author Bram Stoker, whose 1897 Gothic …
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Playful Words That Jane Austen Popularized
In her novels, Jane Austen (1775–1817) scrutinized the ways that social codes and class place constraints on individuals and relationships. Her own use of language, however, was anything but constrained. It was so playful and inventive—like tittupy, or “bouncing all around,” which a character uses to describe a rickety carriage in Northanger Abbey. While she may not have exactly coined words like tittupy, Austen’s books …
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8 Music Festival Names That Rock
Like their spiritual forerunner Woodstock, these multi-day blowouts are known for three things: loud music, scant clothing, and names as catchy as a classic rock hook. Here are eight of the biggest festivals and a bit of history behind their lyrical appellations.
