Truthful names - lying names. Names of Italian women in some short stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann

Abstract

E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776-1822) was proficient in the Italian language and frequently incorporated Italian characters into his works. In this paper, we will examine the names of Italian women in four stories that predominantly take place in Germany. While Hoffmann primarily employs Cratylic (speaking) names that appear to shed light on the characters’ traits due to their transparent meanings, these names are not always genuine. Quite often, their meanings are deceptive, rendering them false (lying) names.