Bibliographical Name Dropping

Abstract

By filching a few words once used by Thackeray in another connection, a bibliographic name dropper may be neatly defined as a novelist who embellishes his romance with “a personal allusion foreign to the question”. The best example of a gratuitous personal allusion that comes to mind is the one found in Henry James's brilliant story, The Liar. As the story opens, Oliver Lyon, a noted painter, has just arrived at a country estate for a weekend party among celebrities. While dressing for dinner, Lyon glances over the books in the guest room hopeful of gaining insight into the cerebral allergies and prejudices of his hosts. The setting permitted James to insert the extraneous allusion: There was the customary novel of Mr. Le Fanu jor the bedside, the ideal reading in a country house for the hours after midnight. James never wrote truer words, but why he chose to single out Le Fanu for recognition is indeterminable. Perhaps he sincerely liked Le Fanu. Certainly, no flattery could have been intended since Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu had died many years before The Liar was written. James may simply have desired to inform his readers that he, too, was not above mystery stories and popular novels of the day. Whatever his reason, pedagogues may be grateful. Imagine the wonderful diversion afforded a hard pressed lecturer by James's amiable digression. The writings of Henry James may be hard to elucidate, but any dilettante can expatiate for hours on the writings and doings of the versatile and talented Le Fanu who “did in his allotted hours … in this enormous world of ours, his halfpenny worth of work”.

Citation

BAUER, H.C. (1960), "Bibliographical Name Dropping", Library Review, Vol. 17 No. 6, pp. 408-410. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb012326