What's in a Name? Reading the Character of Mary/Moira in Jane Urquhart's Away

Audrey Robitaillié (1)

1 SOFEIR - Société Française d’Études Irlandaises

This article analyses the various connotations of the name of the protagonist in Jane Urquhart's Irish-Canadian novel Away, first published in 1993. The heroine Mary changes her name to Moira at the start of the book, which leads the reader to ponder on the significance of these names. By exploring the classical, topographical, naval, linguistic and religious undertones of Mary/Moira, this study seeks to demonstrate how the Canadian author conveys notions of postcolonialism throughout her novel with the choice of a character's name.

Mots clés: onomastics; Irish folklore; Canadian literature; postcolonialism; Irish diaspora; Jane Urquhart

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Audrey Robitaillié. What's in a Name? Reading the Character of Mary/Moira in Jane Urquhart's Away. Estudios Irlandeses Journal of Irish Studies, 2016, 11, pp.163-171. ⟨10.24162/EI2016-5977⟩. ⟨hal-03640712⟩