Thursday, December 30, 2010

Any other name

Braden and I saw Gulliver's Travels starring Jack Black with some friends this week.  All-in-all, the movie was good.  Of course, it took poetic (and oftentimes dramatic) license to the novel written by Jonathan Swift in 1726, but Swift may very well have appreciated Black's unique flair.

What bothered me about the movie was the leading lady's name:  Darcy Silverman.  Each time another character spoke her name, it caught me off-guard.  Because Darcy is rather unique, it is always odd to hear it used frequently in public places by someone other than my family and friends directing it toward someone other than myself.  In my life, I have known one other real Darcy; we worked together in college and have invariably lost track of each other since the employment ended oh so many years ago.  I occasionally hear tales of "a Darcy I knew in high school" when people learn my name, which further supports how unique it is to be named Darcy.  (I hardly imagine that Sarahs are often met with a similar response.  After all, who didn't know a Sarah in high school.)  Literary Darcys don't bother me so much.  Maybe this is because it is common for me to see my name written, but hearing it repeated in movies and television shows is odd.

And so I wonder, does anyone else feel this way or am I alone in this peculiar trait?

(And yes, I am aware of the name theme of the past few blogs.  That's just what's on my mind right now.)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean. If memory serves me, except for one girl I knew in seventh grade, the only other Alice's I've heard of are elderly, including my grandmother, for whom I am named.

Unknown said...

Is this my friend Alice Perry or another Alice?

Unknown said...

When I was a youngster, the name Darcy only meant one person: Darcy Penell.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THtviaK7dKo

Unknown said...

Mr. Brame, we did not have cable when I was a youngster because the town where I grew up was too rural. Therefore, I am out of the "Kids in the Hall" loop. I enjoyed the clip (though I hope that I don't remind you of Darcy Pennell).

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