Lexicons of Power: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Naming Symbolism in 21st Century Dystopian Fiction

Abstract

This scholarly work delineates the introduction of an additional onomastic naming technique in literature, which I designate as the "emblematic socio-political naming technique." This technique encompasses all names within a literary work that an author selects or invents specifically to advance socio-political themes inherent in a novel. To exemplify the application of this technique, it is systematically employed in the analysis of three instances of 21st-century British and American dystopian literature, each intertwined with distinctive socio-political themes: Susan Collins' The Hunger Games (anti-totalitarian government), N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became (racial and ethnic discord), and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (medical ethics). Through the introduction and meticulous application of this technique, this research asserts the imperative need for delineating a socio-political naming methodology to enhance extant analytical frameworks essential for the examination of literary names. This delineation will concurrently contribute to the broader domain of literary criticism by offering a clear methodology for literary critics to consistently identify and critique authors' naming choices, thereby enhancing the understanding of socio-political motifs inherent in novels across multiple genres.