Anagram
Anagram Definition
Anagram is a form of word play in which letters of a
word or phrase are rearranged in such a way that a new word or phrase is
formed.
Anagram
is formed by using exactly the same letters of the original word but with a
different arrangement. For example, the letters in the word “Shakespeare” can
be rearranged to form an anagram “Keshareapes”. However, an anagram in
literature is not a nonsensical arrangement of words as in the previous
example. Rather, it aims at parodying, criticizing or praising its subject i.e.
the original word. For instance, a most famous anagram for “William Shakespeare”
is “I am a weakish speller”.
Common Anagram
Examples
We play with words in our everyday life to create
anagrams that are funny and witty. Usually, Anagrams are most interesting when
they are relevant to each other. Some hilarious anagram examples
are given below:
- Mother-in-law =
Hitler woman
- Debit card = Bad
credit
- Dormitory =
Dirty Room
- The earthquakes
= The queer shakes
- Astronomer =
Moon starrer
- Punishments =
Nine Thumps
- School master =
The classroom
Example
of Anagram in Literature
Examples #1
In literature the use of anagrams is most commonly
connected to pseudonyms where the writers jumble the letters of their original
names to create interesting pseudonyms for themselves. Below
are some famous examples:
- Jim Morrison =
Mr. Mojo Risin
- Edward Gorey =
Ogdred Weary
- Dave Barrey =
Ray Adverb
- Glen Duncen =
Declan Gunn
- Damon Albarn =
Dan Abnormal
Examples #2
We see anagrams being employed by several writers in
titles of their works and in naming their character giving them a touch of wit
and mystery. Look at the examples below:
- “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare is an anagram of
“Amleth”, a Danish prince.
- Vladamir Nabakov in his novel “Lolita”
presents a character “Vivian Darkbloom” which is an anagram of his name.
- J.K. Rowling in her “Harry Potter Series” uses an
anagram “I am Lord Voldemort” for her character Tom Marvolo Riddle to reveal the two different identities of the
villain.
- The two main characters of a novel “The Rebel
Angels”, Claire McCleethy Hester Asa Moore, use anagrams to give
themselves different names i.e. “They Call Me Circe” and “Sarah
Rees-Toome” respectively.
Examples #3
In Dan Brown’s novel “Da Vinci Code”, the curator of
the museum “Jacques Saunière” wrote the following inscription with his blood:
“O, Draconian devil!
Oh, lame saint!
So dark the con of Man”
Oh, lame saint!
So dark the con of Man”
These were actually the clues related to “Da Vinci”
and were decoded as “O, Draconian devil!” = “Leonardo Da Vinci”, “Oh, lame
saint!” = “The Mona Lisa” and “So dark the con of Man” = “Madonna of the
Rocks”.
In the same novel, we see a character “Leigh Teabing”,
the Holy Grail expert, who invents an apt name for himself by anagramming the
names of the authors of “The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail”:
Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln.
Examples #4
Jonathan Swift had an uncanny skill of inventing new
and unusual names for his fictitious characters and places by using
anagrammatic method. We find interesting examples of anagrams in Jonathan
Swift’s novel “Gulliver’s Travels”. For instance, “Brobdingnag”, a land
occupied by giants, is an anagram of three words: big, grand and noble
excluding the syllable “-le”. Similarly, “Tribinia” and “Langden”, the two
other kingdoms traveled by Gulliver during his voyage, are anagrams of Britain
and England respectively.
Function of Anagram
The above discussion reveals that anagrams are
commonly used in both everyday life and literature. They, if relevant, provide
instances of wit and humor.
Additionally, this word play presents itself as a recreational activity in the
form of word puzzles (cross words, upwords, scrabble, etc.) to sharpen the
deciphering skills of kids as well as adults.
In literature, authors may use anagrams to hide their
identity by coining a pseudonym for themselves but still giving interesting
clues to keen observers. Similarly, the anagrammatic names of characters and
places in a literary piece add layers of meanings to the otherwise nonsense
names and therefore further motivate and develop interest in the readers. In mystery
or detective novels and short stories, anagrams play a vital role in proving
clues to unfold a mystery.
