Reading African American literature through names and naming

This dissertation examines the use of names as both disruptive and creative forces within the context of African American literary culture and proposes a strategy of reading black literature through the analysis of polyvocal names. Instead of insisting that a name refer to a specific object or concept exclusively, this study argues that poetic names contain semiotic spaces that describe, refer to, and voice a kind of deep talk of their own, an encoded text.;The deep talk of poetic names and naming assume multileveled interpretative roles within literature--roles that pivot upon a name's use as symbolic, metaphoric, metonymic, or allegorical discourse. By reading through names and naming as outlined in this study, a researcher can go beyond explanations of symbols and symbolism and examine how names function as radical strategies of discourse production. Reading through names and naming reveals how names motivate charactonymic, thematic and interpretive textual movements beneath the surface text. Using the name "Tod Clifton" from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, "Lorraine" from Gloria Naylor's Women of Brewster Place, "Pilate" from Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, "Dessa" from Sherley Anne Williams' Dessa Rose and "Mathu" from Ernest Gaines's A Gathering of Old Men (among others) as sample readings, I introduce a method of reading the deep talk of literary names and demonstrate how a reader might recognize its effects.