Diachronic Perspectives on Literary Animal Naming

E. T. A. Hoffmann’s Lebens-Ansichten des Katers Murr and Volker Reiche’s comic strip Strizz

Abstract

In the present article, the names of cats and dogs that appear in E.T.A. Hoffmann’s novel Lebensansichten des Katers Murr (1819, 1821) and in Volker Reiche’s comic strip Strizz (2002–2006) are analyzed. Both authors chose their literary zoonyms carefully so as to reflect the real name-giving practice for cats and dogs of their times. Hoffmann’s cats mostly bear cat names with an initial M- (Murr, Muzius, Miesmies, Mina). This characteristic feature, however, is no longer found among Reiche’s cats with names such as Herr Paul, Wolle, Peter, and Inga. Hoffmann’s dog names are fashionable names (Ponto), literary names (Hector, Achilles, Skaramuz, Minona) as well as the names of well-known persons (Tyras, Kartusch). In contrast, Reiche’s literary dogs do not bear classical names or poetonyms anymore, but rather common family names like Müller or rare anthroponyms like Tassilo, the latter of which was the name of a Bavarian duke of the 8th century. The names of Müller's friends, Bello and Fido, usually regarded as stereotypical dog names, are no longer the most popular names for dogs. In sum, over the last 200 years, differences between literary proper names for cats and dogs have disappeared. Now anthroponyms dominate in both realms.