Literary functions of character name in the novel O filho de mil homens

Abstract

This article aims to present a proposal for conceptualization, definition and exemplification of literary functions that names of people acquires in prosaic fictional contexts. In order to do so, the theoretical foundation used is based on the synthesis of proposals of Dvořáková (2018), Gybka (2018) and Amaral and Seide (2020) that evidences 10 different literary functions. The names of people in fictional context become names of characters not only by virtue of their context of use, but mainly, thanks to their literary function, that is, within the symbolic and fictional logic of the work in which they are found. This article analyzes literary functions of personal names in the fictional context of the novel O filho de mil homens [The son of a thousand men] by Valter Hugo Mãe, published in 2012. The analysis of the names of the characters of the novel evinces almost all the functions foreseen by the theorists who supported this study, exception from the uses that make transgressions to the linguistic norms. Being an interdisciplinary area, Literary Onomastics enriches the analysis of the characters, unveiling hidden layers of meaning in the work, it is hoped that this article can inspire other scholars to investigate the literary functions of the proper names of a person in different fictional contexts.