Literary notes about moniker (AI summary)
In literature, the term "moniker" is employed not only as a simple name but as a vehicle for conveying character, irony, or historical significance. Writers use it to underscore a defining trait or backstory, as when a seemingly inappropriate title is given to a notorious figure who committed an extraordinary act [1]. In other instances, a character introduces himself with his moniker, establishing a personal identity that readers are meant to remember [2]. Sometimes, the moniker carries the weight of legacy, clinging to an individual throughout life and symbolizing past deeds or misfortune, much like it does for a character in a harsh environment [3]. At times, the name itself becomes a subject of debate or a call for reinvention, even suggesting that a more fitting title might enhance one's persona [4]. Such varied uses highlight how a moniker in literature often operates as more than a label; it becomes an integral part of a character’s narrative and cultural fabric [5].
- A most unfitting moniker, wouldn't you say, for a fellow who swiped off my head while I was asleep one day?"
— from The Forest Monster of Oz by Chris Dulabone - “My moniker’s Reache,” he tells us, and we tell him our names.
— from The Isle of Vanishing Men: A Narrative of Adventure in Cannibal-land by William Fisher Alder - This moniker clung to Hiram Hooker through all of his subsequent life in the desert.
— from The She Boss: A Western Story by Arthur Preston Hankins - “Jimmy is all right, but you need a niftier moniker than that.
— from Flash Evans and the Darkroom Mystery by Frank Bell - His moniker was acquired from his habit of settling disputes without cluttering up the courts.
— from Loafing Along Death Valley Trails: A Personal Narrative of People and Places by William Caruthers
