# Authors whose names are used adjectivally **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894 "2006-01-07T15:30:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/1 "2006-01-07T15:30:38Z")
Don’t know what got me thinking about this, and I’m not sure exactly what it is that I’m thinking about, so let me just throw this out there: There are only a few authors I can think of offhand whose names are used adjectivally – “Shakespearean” is probably the most common. There’s also “Shavian,” usually used in something like “Shavian wit.” There’s “Hemingwayesque,” but no “Fitzgeraldian.” “Faulknerian,” “Joycean” – for modern authors, anyway, it seems to be about a very distinctive prose style. (“Jamesian,” there’s another.) “Thurberesque” I’ve heard, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard “Wodehousian” or “Perelmanesque.” As I said, I don’t know where I’m going with this – but why is it that only some authors become adjectives? And who’s the most recent author to be so honored? My first draft of a list doesn’t have anyone from the last half century. Any thoughts on this? ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/2 "2006-01-07T15:49:54Z")
Honestly, I think a lot of it has to do with the sound and spelling of the name. Some authors are well-known, distinctive, and imitated, yet just don’t have names that lend themselves to adjectivization. Mark Twain, for example: “Twainian” is an awkward word; doesn’t roll off the tongue like “Dickensian” or “Faulknerian”. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/3 "2006-01-07T15:52:56Z")
Proustian. Yay for me! I got ‘Proustian’ in early! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/4 "2006-01-07T15:58:41Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > but I don’t think I’ve ever heard “Wodehousian” or “Perelmanesque.” Well, FWIW, “Wodehousian” returns nearly 10,000 hits “Perelmanian” only returns a handful–130–and “Perelmanesqu” only 28. I don’t think there’s any limit on what writers you can adjectate (teehee). Obviously, the more canonical names will be made into adjectives as more and more a) writers are influenced by them and b) the general public is aware of them to understand what one means by the adjectival form of a name. As for most recent, I don’t know. Just on a lark, I wanted to see if Tarantino was used adjectivally as “Tarantinian,” and, sure enough, there’s even a book on Amazon called _The Tarantinian Ethics_. As for authors from the last half century, you can try Rushdian, Vonnegutian, Bukowskian, Mametian, etc. Also, it helps if you have a last name that’s distinct and easy to make into an adjective. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/5 "2006-01-07T16:22:09Z")
There’s a member of the boards here with an adjectivised author’s name. I’ve heard Tolkeinian, but I have no idea how that would be spelt. And i’ve certainly heard Wodehouseian before. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/6 "2006-01-07T16:23:26Z")
I’ve encountered the word “Asimovian” quite a bit. Oh, and the word “[Pauline](http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=2079).” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/7 "2006-01-07T16:45:11Z")
When I saw the thread title, the very first thing I thought of was “Lovecraftian.” Although Lovecraft died before the last half-century mark (1937, to be exact), his work certainly didn’t gain widespread recognition until well within that period. I concur with the other posters who suggest it’s not just that the author needs to have a distinctive style, s/he also needs a name that lends itself to an adjectival form. ---
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/8 "2006-01-07T17:19:51Z")
The most obvious that springs to mind is Orwellian. I also like Pepysish but I made that one up. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/9 "2006-01-07T17:25:03Z")
> [@deevee](#): > > I also like Pepysish but I made that one up. Or it might be Pepystic (which is, of course, the opposite of dispepystic). > [@pulykamell](#): > > As for authors from the last half century, you can try Rushdian, Vonnegutian, Bukowskian, Mametian, etc. Also, it helps if you have a last name that’s distinct and easy to make into an adjective. But what would a Rushdian bit of prose sound like? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/10 "2006-01-07T17:31:59Z")
Sigh. Meant to hit preview. Oh well. **CBCD** – I actually used “Proustian” in another thread just this morning. 😃 **Baldwin** – Dickensian, yes – though that usually refers to a situation, rather than the depiction of that situation (e.g., “She had a real Dickensian childhood”). Definitely in the top three of authorial adjectives, though. As far as Twain is concerned, though – again, what would “Twainian” mean? What might you described as “Twainian” prose? Another example is “Emersonian” – though again, I’m not entirely clear what the referent is there – essays as a genre? A particular type of prose? And I don’t think “Wildean” is that common (36.5K hits – vs. 438K for Dickensian), which is interesting, because it does adjectivize nicely. (And the lending-itself-to-being-adjectivized rule is major, y’all are right about that.) ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/11 "2006-01-07T17:33:37Z")
Kafka-esque. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/12 "2006-01-07T17:40:10Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > I’ve heard Tolkeinian, but I have no idea how that would be spelt. And i’ve certainly heard Wodehouseian before. “Tolkienian” returns 16,800 Google hits; “Tolkienesque” gets 36,700. The latter is more felicitous to my ear, but neither looks too great on the page. My contributions: Rabelaisian, platonic. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/13 "2006-01-07T17:41:17Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > “Tolkienian” returns 16,800 Google hits; “Tolkienesque” gets 36,700. The latter is more felicitous to my ear, but neither looks too great on the page. Mmm. That’s why I questioned it. > [@](#): > > My contributions: Rabelaisian, platonic. Platonic! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/14 "2006-01-07T17:43:43Z")
Platonic, not as much, since it refers to a philosophical concept rather than to Plato as a writer. Ditto for Marxist, Calvinist, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/15 "2006-01-07T17:52:01Z")
I think I prefer Tolkienlike to the others, as it mirrors hobbitlike. Tarantino-esque (with hypen) gets 24,000 Google hits. If we’re considering the platonic, we need to include the socratic (1.5 million) and aristotelian (1.6 million), as well as the freudian and jungian. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/16 "2006-01-07T17:56:26Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > If we’re considering the platonic, we need to include the socratic (1.5 million) and aristotelian (1.6 million), as well as the freudian and jungian. Am I allowed to exert OP’s privelege here and say no? I really am thinking about the referents as being writers qua writers, not as philosophers or intellectuals. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/17 "2006-01-07T17:58:00Z")
Oh, but speaking of Dickensian, [this](http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/multimedia/dickens/) came up in the google search. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/18 "2006-01-07T18:10:10Z")
Swiftian. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/19 "2006-01-07T18:25:38Z")
Well, suspense surprise twists are Hitchcockian, although he wasn’t actually a writer per se, so I guess he’s out. In that same vein, though, you’d think there was something other just Agatha Christie-like. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894/20 "2006-01-07T18:33:36Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > And who’s the most recent author to be so honored? My first draft of a list doesn’t have anyone from the last half century. “Borgesian” gets 36,000 Google hits; Jorge Luis Borges died in 1986. Although he does not use the adjective, in [this column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000818.html) Cecil refers to the rules of baseball as being “Borges-inspired.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-names-are-used-adjectivally/338894.md?page=2)