Names as Metaphors in Shakespeare’s Comedies by Grant W. Smith

Prof. Grant Smith is a well-known researcher with an excellent reputation in the onomastic world. For several decades he has had an intense activity, quantified by publications in scientific journals, proceedings, participation in congresses and conferences in America, Europe, Israel, and administrative functions in top organizations such as ANS and ICOS.

In "Names as Metaphors in Shakespeare’s Comedies", the author proposes a collection of analytical essays on Shakespeare’s fourteen comedies plus an introduction. This book offers a novel perspective on the names of characters in Shakespeare's comedies. From the author's perspective, literature is not propaganda, with arguments for ideas and policies, but an expression of basic human emotions.

With extensive experience in literary onomastics, onomastic theory, and semiotics, Professor Grant W. Smith crowns with this volume his longstanding interest in anthroponymic analysis and Shakespeare’s plays.

Dr Oliviu Felecan

Technical University Of Cluj-Napoca

North University Center Of Baia Mare, Romania

The doyen of onomastics undertakes the attempt to explain Shakespeare's names' poetic effects and analogical meanings. He succeeds by this impressive work to demonstrate the symbolic meaning of anthroponyms and proper names in general that transcends by far their formal function of designation. Besides his systematic and analytical approach towards the use and role of names in literature, he also provides a colorful insight into how a poetry champion played with name symbolism. Thus, the book covers a wide range from laying a theoretical basis for literary onomastics to better understand a great poet and his works. Onomasticians, as well as everybody interested in exploring the wealth of literature, will enormously benefit from it.

Dr Peter Jordan

Austrian Academy of Sciences, Co-chair, Joint ICA/IGU Commission on Toponymy