Princess Orchid Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I came across a post on another forum about a "question" an audience member posed for Alexander McCall Smith at a recent event at the Edinburgh Book Festival, which was quite aggressive. This person asked, since AMS has a double-barrelled surname, he was "obviously" born bourgeois, and didn't he think he should drop the "McCall", and publish under the name "Alexander Smith" so he could write about more blue collar issues. I find this sort of attitude incredible narrow-minded, as well as hypocritical. The same sort of people who think this is an appropriate question would probably be up in arms if it was insinuated that an author like Irvine Welsh should start writing on less gritty topics (maybe meandering away from the "working class" characters and portraying posh Morningside residents, for example). Disgusting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Clearly Tolstoy's books are rubbish because he was part of the nobility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Orchid Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Lol. Clearly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 What a silly attitude! How boring would it be if everyone had to write what they were told! Also, this attitude suggests that the upper classes are nothing but prim and proper, whereas they probably have more to hide in a lot of cases, and make more interesting stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I don't get this thing about double-barrelled names being 'posh' For many years, I've seen that the parents of a child who are not married have included both of their names into the child's (and often their own). It also appears to be popular amongst the Jamaican community. I'm sure not everybody who falls into the above categories is deemed as posh or upper class Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Orchid Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 I think in the past, if 2 people married who both came from quite posh or upper class families, they'd keep both names because neither family wanted to lose their identity. It doesn't make a jot of difference now, as some of the chavviest people I've ever met have had double barrelled surnames! Does anyone remember that horrid bleached blonde from Big brother last year - I'm sure she had a double barrelled surname! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Here in Spain, everyone who is Spanish has double barrel names. Every child in my daughters class has a double barreled surname so it is not an unusual phenomenon which just belongs to the aristocrats...talk about stereotyping!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I think in the past, if 2 people married who both came from quite posh or upper class families, they'd keep both names because neither family wanted to lose their identity. It doesn't make a jot of difference now, as some of the chavviest people I've ever met have had double barrelled surnames! Does anyone remember that horrid bleached blonde from Big brother last year - I'm sure she had a double barrelled surname! Grace Adams-Short Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 For many years, I've seen that the parents of a child who are not married have included both of their names into the child's (and often their own). I know many people who are very "working class" and have (or given their kids) a double-barelled surname. Some do that for fun; I know a Stephen Grimm married to a Nicola Reaper and the young couple apparently had to be persuaded not to give their young son Christopher both their names . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I know many people who are very "working class" and have (or given their kids) a double-barelled surname. Some do that for fun; I know a Stephen Grimm married to a Nicola Reaper and the young couple apparently had to be persuaded not to give their young son Christopher both their names . Excellent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I This person asked, since AMS has a double-barrelled surname, he was "obviously" born bourgeois, and didn't he think he should drop the "McCall", and publish under the name "Alexander Smith" so he could write about more blue collar issues. What happened to being allowed to be yourself? I'm flabbergasted. The diversity of literature is something to be celebrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 I think the guy must've been joking. The entire idea of dropping a part of your name so you might write differently is ... pretty funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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