Remembering names

[Steeeeve]

Is anyone else absolutely dreadful at remembering the names of characters in books? After I've finished a book you could ask me the names of the characters and I'd struggle to remember.

A lot of the time I find I don't really remember the name so much as what the name looks like on the page so it never really sticks in my head. It's just a symbol in the book and when the book's closed the name goes from my mind.

 

One reason I gave up on Catch-22 (and I will try and go back to it!) was that a new character was introduced on pretty much every page. My lame method of remembering who does what only works if there aren't many people in the story.

 

I don't really know what my point is.

[Kimmy619]

I could really love a book when reading it, but ask me for details a few months later and I draw a blank!

[Chrissy]

My reading tends to be emotion centred and visual, rather than retention of that kind of detail. I'll remember many (but not all) names, but I will remember the feeling attached to a book or character long after the plot has gone all foggy on me.

[pickle]

One of the things I also find wierd is when discussing books with people who have read the same thing is how they pronounce the names, especially true of fantasy books where the names are not common to us..

 

One of the hardest books for names i ever read was Anna Karenina, apart from not really enjoying the books the names were so long I got confused..

[SueK]

yes I too have problems with names. I have the same problem in newspaper articles when a name is mentioned at the top and then again half way down and I have to go back to the top to remember who he/she was. I think they call it a senior moment.

 

I agree with Pickle on Anna Karenin. War and Peace has a similar problem as with those books you have to remember the patronymic as well.

 

Btw Pickle, your avatar worries me ...... is that little chick going to fall down the drain:cry2:

[pickle]

Btw Pickle, your avatar worries me ...... is that little chick going to fall down the drain:cry2:

 

it look like it doesn't it but don't worry I don't think its a real one.

[vinay87]

I have problems related to remembering characters' names too, but I say that's the fault of the writer in my case. If I can't remember the character's name, then the writer isn't doing a good enough job. It's not about how tough the name is, it's about how well acquainted he/she makes the character to me.

 

I remember a lot of characters from books I've read sometimes several years after the book is back on my shelf. Harry Potter, The Wheel of Time, The Belgariad, The Lord of The Rings, The Shannara books, A Song of Ice and Fire, Les Miserables, Brothers Karamazov are a few to give an example.

If I can't remember the storyline or the characters, then the author isn't doing a good job. Sometimes, this is also true with authors who're good, but the original work is in another language and the translator is at fault. The Wordsworth edition of Don Quixote is that way. The translator is dreadfully awful... It feels like the equivalent of getting a google translation of the original work.

 

And some other times, I'm still not ready to read certain authors because I fail to imagine the scene in question. Charles Dickens is of that category I'm afraid. I'd deem anyone able to understand Dickens with ease as extremely lucky as compared to myself. For some reason I just can't seem to picture what he writes about. My loss... But I'll get there in time.

[Pablo]

Couldn't agree more with the points on remembering names and mispronunciation of said names.

 

If a name is particularly exotic or long I also tend to simply acknowledge the shape of the word, rather than it's sound.

 

My misinterpretation of the sounds of names became apparent when, after having read The Lord Of The Rings twice, I then saw the movies, and realised that I'd been pronouncing Moria and Shelob and a whole host of others, wrongly.

 

But at the end of the day, isn't it just our own interpretation that matters?

[ned]

Yes, i find myself going back to different parts of a book to remind me who people are all the time.

[Echo]

I find it harder to remember names if the book is a foreign one...non-English names are difficult for me sometimes. If I'm really having a problem, but I'm enjoying the book, I'll sometimes make a cheat sheet for myself.

[Janet]

I could really love a book when reading it, but ask me for details a few months later and I draw a blank!

This sums me up too!

[BookJumper]

I'm with Vinay on this. My memory's pretty good at impractical knowledge, such as remembering whole pages out of books, so when I can't remember the names of characters, I blame the author for having made them forgettable.

[Mexicola]

That's a good idea. I might do that with Catch-22. Hmmm. YES!

 

Oh please do - you won't regret it!

[Scarlette]

As mentioned before, I can remember several scenes, characters, etc, from books if they were particularly memorable and had some impact on me - whether it's emotional, frightening, humorous, etc. Some books and characters are enjoyable, but not lingering. I live for encountering characters that stay with you ages after reading their stories.

[Kylie]

Something else that annoys me? Having to go shopping for food when I want to be reading. I'm off to get some bread.

 

Heh, I had the same dilemma this morning. But I decided I could go without bread for one more day.

 

I've always been pretty terrible at remembering names. They tend to leave my mind pretty soon after I've finished a book.

[lexiepiper]

I've always been pretty terrible at remembering names. They tend to leave my mind pretty soon after I've finished a book.

 

I'm the same, I have a shocking memory

[BigWords]

Harry Potter, The Wheel of Time, The Belgariad, The Lord of The Rings, The Shannara books, A Song of Ice and Fire, Les Miserables, Brothers Karamazov are a few to give an example.

 

Handy that you mention HP, because that is the defining book I turn to when thinking of multiple characters being instantly familiar. JK Rowling, despite anything that her writing failed to accomplish in coherence of detail (there are no set rules for Quidditch, yet there are 'guides' to the game online, mangling the text to fit where needed) she does manage to make all the characters live and breathe on the page. I was surprised at how easily I managed to remember all of the characters, but I suppose that having a grounding in books with large casts from an early age prepared my brain to cope with that style of writing.

 

Similarly set, the Gem books - or Magnet books, I would have to check that (handily reprinting all of the Greyfriars stories) - have a large cast in comparison to most of the juvenile texts I have read (I'm using the word "juvenile" as a description, not an insult), though you should be able to pick out any character with ease. It helps that they have a limited setting, interact frequently, and have unique voices. That, more than anything, is the decider for me. I've read material which sounds sameish, no matter which character is speaking, and authorial intrusion into the narrative (where the voice of the character is used as propaganda) is a killer for large casts. It often comes across as blahblahblah.

 

Stephen King does large casts well. Frank Herbert... Not so much, though the Dune books span vast timeframes as well as having large casts of characters.

 

A question for those who find it hard to remember which characters are which - do you make use of Wiki's, or character biographies online? I've needed to check online whilst reading some books, and they are helpful at jogging my memory, though the errors which creep in are often perplexing in their nature.

[Johnny Carson Whit]

I found it particularly difficult with remembering names, places/people/streets with the millennium trilogy. There are so many characters in the first book it's crazy, they also (obviously) all have Swedish names which makes it even more difficult; the third book in places is like a tongue twister with so many different street names I actually gave up on it.

 

Generally, I tend to have the kind of mind that remembers small, insignificant details that I have read, for years; I have books that I part read over ten years ago and gave up on halfway through, I wont restart them now even though I would like to, because I already know how half the book pans out, I wish I could totally forget a story so I could re-read

[Anika]

Yes, this is sometimes a problem for me, because I'm too drawn into the plot and esp. at the end, I am assimilating the denouement of the story. But, I always have a 'face' in mind for the characters when I read, and I never forget those!

[missybct]

It's interesting to see how you all flesh out characters - whether it's visual, behaviour beyond the book or how they'd speak, for instance.

 

I have a horrendous memory, so usually if I enjoy a book I will re-read it about a year later to remind myself - if it's a shortish book I'm usually okay, but 500+ and I can guarantee I will have forgotten moments in the plot and names. But I blame myself for that, and my lack of attention at times!

[Anika]

It's interesting to see how you all flesh out characters - whether it's visual, behaviour beyond the book or how they'd speak, for instance.

 

I have a horrendous memory, so usually if I enjoy a book I will re-read it about a year later to remind myself - if it's a shortish book I'm usually okay, but 500+ and I can guarantee I will have forgotten moments in the plot and names. But I blame myself for that, and my lack of attention at times!

 

Oh, yes! I'm a big re-reader of books I like too! That's the best thing about having a 'sick-day' in bed! I can get through (re-reading) about 2-3 novels in a day. (Nothing else to do, but be sickly so the distraction helps!) But mainly, I like to take my time over a good book the first time through. Sort of savor it, especially if the writing is exceptional, and I usually make sure it will be before I even start reading any book! Why waste your time, otherwise.

 

I guess what I don't understand is this new 'signature' thing some people have about HOW MANY books they've already read so far--like it's a RACE, or something......? A competition. What does it matter? And how can you enjoy any book when you're more worried about hurrying through it? Just so you can say you read, 'such-and-such'--? So what! If it's a modern author who churns 'em out--- Big deal! How is that accomplishing anything? I just don't get it....... call me lost and bewildered, but I thought reading was a personal communication with one's own brain and emotions (if the book is good enough to affect them!) NOT a speed trial!!

[Chrissy]

I guess what I don't understand is this new 'signature' thing some people have about HOW MANY books they've already read so far--like it's a RACE, or something......?

 

I thought reading was a personal communication with one's own brain and emotions (if the book is good enough to affect them!)

I don't think you need to understand Anika, as reading is personal to each reader. I have phases where I read books at a rate of knots,and other times (such as presently where I cannot settle enough to read a page.

 

I don't believe anyone feels that there is a race taking place, and you will see that some of our 'faster' readers have certainly read their chosen texts to the depth and breadth that a 'slower' reader might. Take a look at a few reviews, you may be surprised.

[Kell]

I guess what I don't understand is this new 'signature' thing some people have about HOW MANY books they've already read so far--like it's a RACE, or something......? A competition. What does it matter? And how can you enjoy any book when you're more worried about hurrying through it? Just so you can say you read, 'such-and-such'--? So what! If it's a modern author who churns 'em out--- Big deal! How is that accomplishing anything? I just don't get it....... call me lost and bewildered, but I thought reading was a personal communication with one's own brain and emotions (if the book is good enough to affect them!) NOT a speed trial!!

It's not a race or competition, just that some people like to take note of what and how many books they are reading (have you looked at the book log section?). As we're a book forum, it's a perfectly logical and understandable thing to have in a sig.

 

As a side note, I will thank you not to have a go at members for what they have in their signatures. So long as it is nothing offensive and is within the size guidelines for the forum, it is up to the individual what they have there. And I will also thank you not ot have a go at members for their reading choices. We celebrate ALL books here, not just classics and hefty tomes. People here have a wide range of tastes (personally I like pretty much everything from pulp to classics, but am not keen on romances) and we don't go in for bashing people for what they choose to read. You can take that sort of thing someplace else.

Edited February 7, 2010 by Kell

[Kylie]

I guess what I don't understand is this new 'signature' thing some people have about HOW MANY books they've already read so far--like it's a RACE, or something......? A competition. What does it matter? And how can you enjoy any book when you're more worried about hurrying through it? Just so you can say you read, 'such-and-such'--? So what! If it's a modern author who churns 'em out--- Big deal! How is that accomplishing anything? I just don't get it....... call me lost and bewildered, but I thought reading was a personal communication with one's own brain and emotions (if the book is good enough to affect them!) NOT a speed trial!!

 

As one of those people you're talking about, I'm rather offended by this. I don't see how there can possibly be anything wrong with putting the number of books I've read in my sig. It's simply a way of keeping track; it doesn't mean I'm in a race or not reading the books properly. I'm interested in the number of books people have read, but I couldn't care less if people have read more or less than me.

 

I like numbers, and I like the small sense of achievement I feel when I see those numbers go up (and the number of my TBR pile go down). I don't even know why I'm trying to justify myself to you and your ridiculous comments. You do things your way and I'll do things my way.

 

As a side note, I will thank you not to have a go at members for what they have in their signatures. So long as it is nothing offensive and is within the size guidelines for the forum, it is up to the individual what they have there. And I will also thank you not ot have a go at members for their reading choices. We celebrate ALL books here, not just classics and hefty tomes. People here have a wide range of tastes (personally I like pretty much everything from pulp to classics, but am not keen on romances) and we don't go in for bashing people for what they choose to read. You can take that sort of thing someplace else.

 

Steve, I'm not going to ignore your post, because you put it beautifully and I agree with everything both you and Chrissy said.

 

And thanks Kell for your awesome post!

[poppy]

I really enjoy the fantasy books of Weis and Hickman, but they often have several volumes in each series (they are thick books too). They have a large number of characters with quite unusual names and I often get totally confused as to who someone is or get the characters mixed. I keep having to flick back to remind myself. I'm often about a third of the way through the book before I've sorted everyone out. I blame it on poor short-term memory, though come to think of it, my long-term isn't much better either:roll: