The Names
Encyclopedia
The Names is the seventh novel written by the American novelist Don DeLillo
, first published in 1982. The novel, set mostly in Greece
, is primarily a series of character studies, interwoven with a plot about a mysterious "language cult" that is behind a number of unexplained murders. Among the many themes explored throughout the work is the intersection of language
and culture
, the perception of American culture from both within and outside its borders, and the impact that narration has on the facts of a story.
It is this aspect of writing that appeals to Owen Brademas. He is seeking a language that has been "subdued and codified", simplified into parallel structures. But writing can also be a recovery or articulation of "ancient things, secret, reshapable." In this second type of writing, the mystery of the world is retained. In The Names it is a child, the narrator's son Tap, who most purely practices this type of writing. Unlike Owen, for whom "correctness" in speech is very important, Tap's writing is full of lively misspellings, prompting his father to look at objects in a new way.
Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo is an American author, playwright, and occasional essayist whose work paints a detailed portrait of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
, first published in 1982. The novel, set mostly in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, is primarily a series of character studies, interwoven with a plot about a mysterious "language cult" that is behind a number of unexplained murders. Among the many themes explored throughout the work is the intersection of language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, the perception of American culture from both within and outside its borders, and the impact that narration has on the facts of a story.
Language
At the core of the book is the problem of language. Language is the way we connect with the world; thus, it is a means of opening the world or of controlling it. It is these two concepts of language which struggle against each other throughout the book. The latter concept (language as a means of control) is embodied in the character of the archeologist Owen Brademas.Religion
One character in The Names says, "It is religion that carries language. Language is the river of God." If language is the means of relating to the world, or even making the world, then religion in turn circumscribes or frames language. Language for DeLillo, arises in an awe towards the things of the world. That awe is religion. Religion is thus in some sense a surrender, a concession that things are fundamentally outside one's control.Writing
As a manifestation of language, the written word is the most susceptible to control. Letters are static while spoken words are elusive. Writing can thus be a desire for a full presence "a lost language, free from ambiguity."It is this aspect of writing that appeals to Owen Brademas. He is seeking a language that has been "subdued and codified", simplified into parallel structures. But writing can also be a recovery or articulation of "ancient things, secret, reshapable." In this second type of writing, the mystery of the world is retained. In The Names it is a child, the narrator's son Tap, who most purely practices this type of writing. Unlike Owen, for whom "correctness" in speech is very important, Tap's writing is full of lively misspellings, prompting his father to look at objects in a new way.