Can I talk about why only some of the Les Amis have first names?
Okay, so in the 18th and 19th centuries, calling men by their last name was a show of respect. The groups who got called by their first names include:
- most women
- children
- childish/foolish/immature adult men
- people who you were affectionate and close with (e.g. a spouse, sibling, a child-hood friend, etc.)
Now let’s take the two of the Amis that we know their first names: Jean Prouvaire, and Marius.
Marius is obvious, it’s his child-like nature. But for Jehan, I think it has something to do with him being a Romantic, and choosing to be called something affectionate, for the sake of philosophy. It would be the most Jehan thing ever to declare that he is close and affectionate with all things in this world. And Hugo, himself says the name Jehan was “owing to [a] petty momentary freak”.
i forgot two things:
Firstly, this could contribute to the nb Jehan thing, because they choose not to go solely by last name or first name, because both could be perceived as attempts to misgender them.
Secondly, the great thing about how people use first names in the 18th and 19th centuries is great for portraying relationships in fanfiction like:
- trying to show that a woman is considered an intellectual equal in a time where this wasn’t considered the default: have people call her by her last name
- trying to show a character is an asshole to female character: call her by her first name, when everyone else uses her last name
- trying to show a male character is immature or childish: call him by his first name
- allude to a romantic/sexual relationship between characters: have them call each other by their first names (bonus points if everyone else thinks they’re just calling each other immature)