John Clare
Clare / clear
Clare’s Clear Attention
Clare derives from a word associated with clarity and brightness, ultimately related to Latin clarus: “clear,” “bright,” or “renowned.” In…
Poets by Name
Strong aptronym
When a poet’s name seems to have anticipated the work.
Connections
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Longfellow — “long fellow”
The Fellow with the Long Tale
Longfellow is unusually transparent to an English reader: it appears to divide into long and fellow. As a surname, it need not have origina…
Banjo Paterson
BANJO Paterson
A Balladeer Called Banjo
Andrew Barton Paterson’s famous literary name, “Banjo,” was adopted from a racehorse. In ordinary English, though, a banjo is also a plucke…
Thomas Hardy
Hardy
Hardy by Name, Unsparing by Art
Hardy is a transparent English word: someone hardy is tough, robust, durable, and able to endure difficult conditions. As a surname, it car…
Christina Rossetti
CHRISTINA
A Christian Name, Seriously Read
Christina is the feminine form of Christian: a name denoting a follower of Christ. Its connection to Christianity is direct, ordinary, and…
Robert Frost
Robert FROST
A Name Written in Rime
Frost is the familiar English word for the icy crystalline deposit formed in cold conditions, and by extension for freezing weather itself.…