Adventures, languages and naming systems

Abstract

Studies have shown that onomastic systems often align with specific literary genres—but can this also be said of the adventure novel? To address this question, we examine a selection of works that, while exhibiting the typical features of adventure fiction, also belong to other genres: Hobb’s Ship of Magic, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and Blas de Roblès’s L’Île du Point Némo. We also consider the translations of these novels to assess whether the semantic weight of proper names is preserved across languages. Hobb’s onomastics are grounded in the English language; Tolkien’s are intricately crafted to support the invented languages and reinforce the internal coherence of his fictional universe; while Blas de Roblès employs names of varied origins to reflect the global trajectory of his characters and to underscore the parodic dimension of his narrative. Ultimately, each onomastic system serves a distinct purpose, closely aligned with the author’s literary aims.