: Re: Way to write an unnamed character? Someone I'm proofreading for has a protagonist that, for whatever reason, has a blanked out name. She writes it as '_____' which I feel disrupts the flow

@Jessie137

Vote Up Vote Down

A name is blanked out because it has been redacted. The reason to redact a name is because it is sensitive information like personal gossip, or because revealing it could lead to a libel lawsuit.

Jane Austin blanked names and locations, and so did Voltaire, but they did it because it was a convention of their day. Letters were exchanged daily the way we use social media, to repeat gossip and news and funny stories. Sections of letters would be transcribed word-for-word, and shared not just because the information was juicy but also because the telling of the incident had a writer's flair or if it was just a "viral meme". The fictional novels that used this device are epistolary, they are told as letters so it was a normal convention that was written into fiction. In fact it might have felt untrue to write a letter from a certain character without using it.

This was also an age where reputation meant everything, and a shocking number of men would duel to save their honor – that's how important it was, they were willing to die for it. At the same time, everyone communicated by letters that were easily misplaced or stolen, but also were expected to be shared (and no doubt embellished) with friends and family, so what was said about specific people in letters was precarious. Even being loosely associated with an embarrassed person meant you would inevitably be the subject of gossip yourself, so the need to be discrete when repeating sensitive topics was actually self-preserving.

But there's a little more to it. The convention of using "______" or "A______" was used to show the letter had been directly transcribed, presumably from an original letter that contained the actual names. Using blanks added legitimacy. This is exactly the same as when a government document is released to the public with the specifics redacted as blackout bars "███████" It is more accurate than if the document were re-typed as prose, or described with suggestive or made up aliases for the people involved. The writer is signaling that they are sharing the actual document, copied word-for-word.

I'm assuming your author is using a blanked name to be post-modern or poetic. It might help to explain the practical context for blanking out a name. It isn't done just for atmosphere or to be mysterious, it is actually intended to do the opposite. It implies the narrative has been copied verbatim from the original source.

(0)

Login to post a comment!