Names

A modern fictional narrative begins with a particular character's point of view, then informs us of that character's name when appropriate, perhaps when he is addressed. Thus, the opening sentence of Chapter 1 of Stieg Larsson's first novel reads in part:

"The trial was irretrievably over...but he had never doubted that he would lose."

-Stieg Larsson, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (London, 2008), Chapter 1, p. 9.

So we have a male viewpoint character - thus, not the title character - and we will learn his name in due course. Sure enough, the second paragraph opens:

"Carl Mikael Blomkvist saw [the reporters] through the doorway..." (ibid.)

Then one of the reporters addresses him:

"'Give us a sound bite, Kalle Blomkvist.'" (ibid.)

In an older narrative tradition, an omniscient narrator began by directly informing his audience of the central character's name and status, then followed this with an objective account of that character's deeds. 

"There was a man called Orm the Strong, a son of Ketil Asmundsson who was a yeoman in the north of Jutland."

-Poul Anderson, The Broken Sword (London, 1977), I, p. 15.

The first datum is not what Orm thinks or how he feels at a particular moment but what he is called, who his father was, their social station and where they lived.

"A man called Geirolf dwelt on the Great Fjord in Raumsdal. His father was Bui Hardhand, who owned a farm inland near the Dofra Fell."

-Poul Anderson, "The Tale of Hauk" IN Anderson, The Armies of Elfland (New York, 1992), pp. 77-104 AT p. 77.

"There was a man called Eyvind the Red, who dwelt in the Danelaw of England while Aethelstan was king. His father was Svein Kolbeinsson, who had come there from Denmark..."

-Poul Anderson, Hrolf Kraki's Saga (New York, 1973), I, p. 3.

The narrative reaches back before moving forward again.

"His name was a set of radio pulses."

-Poul Anderson, "Epilogue" IN Anderson, Explorations (New York, 1981), pp. 177-240 AT p. 177.

OK. What is happening here? More next time.