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Shouldn't Mary Shelley's novel be titled The Last Woman?

hgarcia13 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:41:42 +0000

For this week’s blog post (11/15), students will revise and repost last week’s post (11/8) through a close reading of the following passage from Volume 2, chapter 12 of The Last Man, in which Evadne relates an apocalyptic prophecy to Lionel Verney:

“This is the end of love!–Yet not the end!”–and frenzy lent her strength as she cast her arm up to heaven: “there is the end! there we meet again. Many living deaths have I borne for thee, O Raymond, and now I expire, thy victim! — By my death I purchase thee — lo! the instruments of war, fire, the plague are my servitors. I dared, I conquered them all, till now! I have sold myself to death, with the sole condition that thou shouldst follow me — Fire, and war, and plague, unite for thy destruction — O my Raymond, there is no safety for thee!” (181).

Along with the grader’s comments, use this textual passage to help you expand and improve your previous interpretation.

Greece - Past and Present

dianawitless — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:32:18 +0000

Evadne, in The Last Man, is Shelley’s representation of a fallen Greece. While many Romantic writers and poets wrote about the fall of Greece and the Grecian ideals, Evadne shows the ramifications in that she is desperate and poor. This is most commonly seen in the theme of loneliness or isolation that Evadne exhibits. When Lord Raymond finds Evadne, he finds her in poverty, filth, sitting by herself, left behind by her dead husband and abandoned by her country. It was this deep feeling of isolation that drew Lord Raymond’s attention; he was curious about the girl sitting by herself and approached her, at first simply to discover her identity. Evadne falls in love with the man who “recognized” her and pulled her out of poverty, and she began to have an affair with him.

Viewing Greece as a sad, despondent female, relying on those like Lord Raymond to recognize and love her again, is very different from the Abssynian maid in Kubla Khan. While this maid was nameless, without a large storyline, and seemingly purposeless, the maid was a source of happiness. She played on her dulcimer; she was not despondent or isolated. The Abssynian maid was celebrating the great pleasure dome and brought pleasure and delight to those who listened. She was inspirational and a muse-like source of creativity.

As opposed to seeing the decrepit history of ruin within Evadne, the Abssynian maid is a much more joyful and restorative image. The Abssynian maid represents the artistic creativity and curiosity initially found in ancient Greece, and Evadne is a sobering reminder of how much Greece has fallen from her originally high mythological standings.

The Comforts of the Past

lostinthekeys — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 07:21:16 +0000

In Mary Shelley’s The Last Man, Princess Evadne represents a time long gone, a remnant of an ancient Greek civilization that only exists in ruins. Raymond finds her in a “tattered” and “broken” home, reminiscent of actual Greek ruins like the Parthenon. Evadne has obviously fallen far from her previously powerful position, but I was struck by how often the words “compassion,” “comfort,” “support,” and “consoling” appeared in this section of the text. When Raymond initially comes upon Evadne, he immediately offers her “a thousand things” of emotional support. However, Evadne is not only a recipient of comfort. She recounts in her story that she was forced to “support the failing spirits of her husband” as he lost his mind upon arrival to England.

As Evadne represents the fallen Greek empire, this bifurcated identity between a woman who is comforted and a woman who comforts is interesting. Raymond does not attempt to “reason or declaim” her fallen state or disgrace, but rather he merely offers sympathy and understanding. For the Greeks (and for those who lamented the fall of Hellenism), the only consolation available was Raymond-esque sympathy, not denial of the reality of Greece’s fall. Evadne cannot deny the reality of her misfortunes as she relates them in great detail, all the while refusing to “sell [her] nobility for life.” This could represent a refusal of the Hellenists to relinquish the small scraps of what they remember of Greece’s Golden Age. However, Evadne also comforts her insane husband, a representation of the balm that this memory can provide to those who choose to dwell on it. The fallen Greek empire not only needs consolation but can provide consolation to those who remember it.

I found several parallels between this passage about Evadne and the description of Moneta in Keats’ The Fall of Hyperion. Like Evadne, Moneta “comforts those she sees not” (270) although she herself is plagued by an “immortal sickness which kills not” (258). She both needs comfort and can provide comfort unknowingly to many. Moneta’s eyes are half-closed, representing this lack of awareness of who she affects but also a divided existence between the present and the past. Evadne also experiences this divided existence between two times, demonstrating that the Greek civilization is still alive and well as it soothes the hearts of those who remember it.

Evadne: A Creature Unlike Any Other (Revised)

katiearata — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 06:26:04 +0000

Mary Shelley’s The Last Man is a literary maze. The characters are complex and ever-changing, the plot is twisted, and the overarching idea of the work is an apocalyptic vision of the future and its societal members. Evadne is a character that experiences an individual apocalypse and expresses a different energy that is not found in any other character in this major work. She is described as a “Grecian statue” and “her attitude might have been selected as a model of grace (page 111)”. And as she sits with her pencil that guides her most intrinsic thoughts and expressions, she is an image of astounding beauty and sadness. Upon Raymond’s discovery of her sitting there with her method of translation, the visual arts, he is immediately entranced. So, this apocalyptic character causes a mini apocalypse for Raymond. He observes her as she works, approaches her in the room, and then discovers secrets that remain buried in the stunning mind and invested hand of Evadne. She is but broken, like the rest, a “Princess in disguise (page 112)”. And unlike before, the “pleasure of relieving her pain” is a new found joy and, at the same time, a pain that yearns to be muted (page 112).

So, what and who is this character of Evadne? “She seemed to have more to say, to which she was unable to give words,” so it is either up to Raymond or the reader to figure out and trace this mysterious creature (page 112). Later in the book she exposes more of herself, her power, and her weakness. “I expire!…I dared, I conquered them all, till now! I have sold myself to death (page 181).” Evadne exposes her realness and also her ethereal dominance and strength. She controls plague, war, and weapons; she controls fate and, at the same time, is a fated being herself. I think it is a stretch to relate her to any other figure in literature, for after all, not Coleridge, Blake, or Keats ever exposed such a human and yet untouchable character. She possesses attributes that are found in other characters, of course, but when looking at Evadne, it is difficult to form a relationship between her and another literary, female character of the time. In Percy Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound, Asia exists to inform and predict, to expose the truths and conditions of the time. This bride of Prometheus is enchanting; she “feels, [she] sees,” but she does not fully relate to the soul. When she speaks to Panthea, she even admits her lack of ability to understand and relate saying, “thou speakest, but thy words are as the air; I feel them not (Anthology pg. 1168).” Asia is a creature of power, just as Evadne is, but there is so much more to Evadne that makes any relationship to another figure in literature weak and less of a noticeable similarity.

Evadne, unlike any of the figures the class has looked at, is a woman of desire while being a humbled and poor servant. She is an artist while also a work of art. She is lost while also found at the root of her love for Raymond and her acceptance of life as it is. What is she? Who is she? She is, as Mary Shelley hid in her character, an image of apocalyptic change and a symbol of ability. Evadne is a desired, depressed, broken, beautiful, and ambitious creature. She is the “mighty torrent that overwhelmed his will (page 117)”. “Her mind is uncommon strength,” and she allows her most ethereal attributes to adapt human form. Evadne is some type of portal into everything at once, and at the same time, nothing at all. The princess and the pauper, the maiden and the lover, the utter joy and the complete depression. Evadne is unbound, a spirit of complex nature and a creature of unearthly and unknown delight and sorrow.

Lover or Mother?: The Spiritual Beauty of Evadne and Enitharmon

apocalypse122112 — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 05:48:42 +0000

Evadne is first introduced in Mary Shelley’s The Last Man as the object of Adrian’s admiration and desire: “there was neither jealousy, inquietude, or mistrust in [Adrian’s] sentiment; it was devotion and faith. His life was swallowed up in the existence of his beloved and his heart beat only in unison with the pulsations that vivified hers” (25-6)*. Since the first impression we have of this Oriental Greek princess is her effect on Lionel’s new companion, Shelley seems to portray Evadne’s sexual prowess as her defining characteristic, at least initially. We soon learn that she does not love Adrian – “there was much kindness, gratitude, and sweetness in her expression, but no love” (26) –but instead admires Lord Raymond after their initial meeting, though her love remains unrequited. Following her reunion with him later in the first volume, we discover that she wholeheartedly blames herself for her husband’s suicide in her reflection that “she knew that she was the cause of her husband’s utter ruin; and she strung herself to bear the consequences” (88). Still, with all three men, it appears that her sexuality both intrigued and, to a degree, ruined the men in her life. A pivotal scene in the text in which we see Evadne’s widespread effect on her male counterparts occurs when the Lord discovers that the artist commissioned to complete the national gallery is in fact his estranged lover. Requesting a design plan for the structure “characterized by originality as well as by perfect beauty” (83), Raymond rejects hundreds except for the sketches submitted anonymously by Evadne. Perhaps the most interesting observation about the two’s encounter is the Lord’s transformation: “Raymond recognized her; and his manner changed from polite beneficence to the warmest protestations of kindness and sympathy. The sight of her, in her present situation, passed like an arrow into his soul. He sat by her, he took her hand, and said a thousand things which breathed the deepest spirit of compassion and affection” (85). It is interesting to note Evadne’s reaction to his supplications: “Evadne did not answer; her large dark eyes were cast down, at length a tear glimmered on the lashes” (85). Here in particular, her physical beauty – as well as her artistic faculty – lures Raymond in, though temporarily. It can therefore be argued that her beauty is rooted deeply in her eroticism more than any other effect she possesses over men. Formerly characterized chiefly as the “idol of Adrian’s affection” (85) and the arguable catalyst for her husband’s death, she is now the incarnation of visual beauty through not only her sexual advantages, but also her artistic abilities. However, she possesses fragility and near subjugation to Raymond’s affections for which she will strive to attain unsuccessfully until her own death.

By contrast, the role of Enitharmon in William Blake’s “Europe: A Prophesy” is one of solely maternal effect. Though both female figures possess a distinctive spiritual beauty, Enitharmon seems to be purely a maternal character. While she is Los’ consort, there is no direct implication of the extent to which her femininity impacts him as Evadne’s impacts her men. Invoked by the “nameless shadowy female” in the poem’s Preludium as “accursed mother” who “[brought her] into life” (line 11), Enitharmon is immediately established as one who possesses the power of engendering life, though it is life unwanted for the shadowy female who feels the unrelenting sexual reproduction. The figure thus establishes a primary concern in the poem – the seeming necessity for reproduction and its never ending responsibilities: “my roots are brandish’d in the heavens, my fruits in earth beneath / Surge, foam, and labour into life, first born and first consum’d! / Consumed and consuming” (lines 8-10). The sense that a woman’s role is solely that of producing progeny is both limiting and frustrating to the “shadowy female” who is subject to the inescapable cycle from which she “rolled her shady clouds / Into the secret place” (Preludium, Plate 2, lines 17-18). Perhaps Enitharmon’s most central role is her proclamation of the sinfulness of her sex and her dominion over womanhood more generally: “go tell the human race that Women’s love is Sin! / That an Eternal life awaits the worms of sixty winters / In an allegorical abode where existence hath never come. / Forbid all Joy, and from her childhood shall the little female / Spread nets in every secret path” (A Prophecy, Plate 5, lines 5-9). It is unmistakable that these lines possess some sexual fervency; nonetheless, sexuality is divorced from reproduction here in so far as the latter is Enitharmon’s concern, rather than sensual pleasure. However, it does link to The Last Man to the extent that this particular kind of sign is manifested in Evadne’s husband’s suicide. Though we cannot attribute all blame to Evadne, it nonetheless needs to be considered within its broader context. Despite this rather dejected view of motherhood, Blake concludes his poem with Enitharmon’s evocation of her various children, including Orc – the epitome of revolution of the material world – who proceeds to engender the French Revolution. By concluding with a more positive depiction of maternity, he effectively presents antipodes of what it is to be a woman and mother. Thus, while Enitharmon embodies both the pangs of reproductive expectations and the glory of motherhood, Evadne in turn represents pure sexuality; despite their dissimilarities, they both seem to possess a fair amount of agency and power within their respective situations. Does this mean that their sensuality is not their captivity, but their freedom? For Evadne, this may be true, but for Enitharmon, this possibility seems less likely, if not impossible.

*I seem to have a different version of The Last Man than others in the class, which may explain for the discrepancies in page numbers. Here is the citation of my edition: Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. The Last Man. Ed. Anne McWhir. Ontario: Broadview Press, 1996. Print.

The "E" Effect

mjaka10 — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 04:30:10 +0000

Evadne in The Last Man most resembles the role of Enitharmon in William Blake’s Europe: A Prophecy. Enitharmon “slept/ Eighteen hundred years: Man was a dream!” (Plate 9, Lines 1-2). Enitharmon was distanced from her world by sleep, unaware of the actions of her fellow beings, stuck in a dream world, blinded from the actual state of man. While Enitharmon existed in a state of peaceful sleep, man was waging a war around her. Much like Enitharmon, Evadne too was separated from the world, at least the world of the main characters of The Last Man, by physical distance when she returned to Greece. In her absence, the lives of Lionel, Perdita, Raymond, Adrian, and Idris continued on in bliss, while Evadne herself was experiencing quite the opposite. The stark contrast between the existences of the two female characters and the reality of those around them is unknown by the women, but alluded to by shadows.

Enitharmon dreams of “Shadows of men in fleeting bands upon the wind” (Plate 9, line 6), passing hints in her dream of what she is to find when she awakes. Evadne too is haunted by shadows, memories of her beloved Raymond. These silhouettes of the past highlight the state of each woman in the present, and foreshadow their futures. Once Enitharmon awakens and the sun begins to rise, all of her children leave her, “… everyone fled to his station, & Enitharmon wept” (Plate 14, Lines 36). Enitharmon is reduced to tears when the objects of her affection leave her, much as Evadne became ill and nearly died after Raymond found her and then lapsed into absence again. Once Raymond returns to aid Evadne, however, much like the waking of Enitharmon, the world immediately effected by her is thrown into turmoil. The initiation of this turmoil seems to be the purpose of Evadne in The Last Man, as she destroys the perfection and happiness of the world in which the main characters live, just as Enitharmon’s awakening caused such change in Europe: A Prophecy.

Woeful Women: Moneta and Evadne as Shades of the Past

Romantic Fanatic — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 01:21:06 +0000

I would most readily relate Evadne – a woman we have witnessed falling from society’s highest social graces, as a wealthy Greek Princess, into a lowly place of impoverished obscurity – with Keats’ representation of the goddess Moneta in The Fall of Hyperion. In Roman mythology, Moneta is revered as the goddess of memory, and in Keats’ poetry, she is summoned as the priestess of the past, the protector of the ruined temple: “and by her voice I knew she shed/Long treasured tears. ‘This temple, sad and lone,/’Is all spar’d from the thunder of a war/’Foughten long since by giant hierarchy/’Against rebellion: this old image here,/’Whose carved features wrinkled as he fell,/’Is Saturn’s; I Moneta, left supreme/’Sole priestess of this desolation.” She represents the mournful shadow of the past, as she dwells among the rubble of the grand temple. Prior to entering this scene of pain and desolation, Keats finds himself in Edenic pleasure, which makes his transition into a mere memory of those glorious days even more disturbing and sentimental.

These notions of nostalgia are well established in the character of Evadne, yet unlike Moneta (who embraces her role as the goddess of maintaining the memory of what used to be), Evadne ardently fights against her desire to return to her comfortable status out of the more pressing need to maintain her pride. As she explains to Lord Raymond, “This may seem madness to you, yet you also have pride and resolution; do not then wonder that my pride is tameless, my resolution unalterable” (Shelley 111). Unlike Montea – who possesses both an understanding of the unfortunate present state of affairs, and therefore, a true appreciation for past glory – Evadne wholly accepts her fate as a princess turned beggar, yet lacks an appreciation for her past wealth, made evident by her refusal to swallow her pride and seek refuge in the company of the royals.

Fighting for the Lost Glory of Greece

rollingrock33 — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:22:17 +0000

Evadne represents the greatness of the golden age of Greece and Greek culture. She is from Greece and her hair is compared to that “of a Grecian Statue” (The Last Man 109). Her degraded state reflects that of Greece at the time, which was in a war for its independence from Turkey. The walls of her apartment are “ragged and bare” (109) and her general condition is described as “drear and heart sickening poverty” (109). Such was Greece’s lot in the early 1800s. Greece had fallen into poverty and its great culture was in a corrupted state. Greece had once been great, but, to protect itself from destruction and ruin, had agreed to join the Roman Empire. This is reflected in Evadne’s arranged marriage to “a wealthy Greek merchant settled at Constantinople” (111). The choice of Constantinople here is not without purpose. Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, which ruled over Greece. The Roman Empire, however, fell, leaving Greece unprotected, just as the ruin of Evadne’s husband left her unprotected. Evadne’s condition in chapter eight is precisely that of her homeland: degraded and impoverished, yet fiercely proud. Her attitude towards her poverty sounds like a rousing call for Greeks to battle for their independence against the Turks. She asks “Shall I bow my head before them, and with servile gesture sell my nobility for life?” (111-112). The answer, for Greece and for Evadne, is a resounding no.

I think that Evadne is different from the other mythic female figures that we have examined in Romantic poetry so far. Evadne, while certainly admirable, seems to, at least at the moment that we see her here, lack the agency and power of the other female figures. While Evadne’s poverty is detailed by Shelley, the Abyssinian maid of “Kubla Khan” seems exalted and the only description of her is her music. She plays a dulcimer and sings a song so beautiful that it ignites in the speaker an intense desire to “build [Kubla’s pleasure] dome in air” (“Kubla Khan” 46). Most of the mythic female figures that we have studied have fulfilled a similar role. They are creative forces of inspiration that imbue the world with beauty and complexity. Evadne also does this through her work for the national gallery, but, because of her ruined condition, we can imagine how much more she is capable of. The Abyssinian maid is not in the same degraded circumstances as Evadne and can sing her sweetest songs. Evadne’s impoverished condition serves as a battle cry to restore all of the former wonder and grandeur of Greece so that Greece can once again sing songs as beautiful as that of the Abyssinian maid.

2012 State of Digital Marketing Report & [INFOGRAPHIC]

Evadne Studio — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:03:11 +0000

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The Website Marketing Mind Map

Evadne Studio — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:09:26 +0000

If you understand this, you don’t need us. If this mind map looks more like a mind warp, then you should contact us at info@evadnestudio.com.

Orignial post from SEOBook

Is Social Media Effective for Small Businesses? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Evadne Studio — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:15:44 +0000

via Soshable

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How Small Business Gets Started… and Keeps Running [INFOGRAPHIC]

Evadne Studio — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:36:13 +0000

via: How Small Business Gets Started… and Keeps Running [INFOGRAPHIC]

Girls names ending in e (or e sound)

babynamelover — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:45:38 +0000

Lately I have noticed a trend of girls names ending in e, these include the following examples in loose catergories and then some suggestions .

Nicknames: Millie, Maggie, Sadie, Bridie, Maisie, Jessie, Lexie, Georgie, Trixie, Connie, Evie, Frankie & Cadie.

Cultural: Amelie, Florence, Mackenzie, Maeve, Neave, Anneke. Magdalene, Eloise & Therese.

Middles: Jade, Hope, Grace, Rose, Anne, Paige, Marie, Jane, Mae, Louise, Hope & Faye.

Greek; Sophie, Phoebe, Zoe, Xanthe & Daphne.

Elle: Arielle, Noelle, Isabelle, Gabrielle, Michelle, Elle & Estelle.

Classics: Alice, Charlotte, Eve, Katherine, Helene, Caroline, Claire & Elise.

******

Suggestions

Nicknames: Celie, Josie, Hettie, Winne, Bebe, Lettie, Hattie, Nonie, Lottie, Elsie, Nellie & Zadie.

Middles; Brooke, Jasmine, Bree, Jessamine, Rue, Celine, Simone, Emme, Collette & Natalie

Greek: Ariadne, Calliope, Evadne, Ianthe, Persephone, Violanthe, Hebe, Athene, Thisbe & Ione.

Elle- Brielle, Cybele, Reuelle, Brunelle, Joelle & Junelle.

Cultural: Aine, Coralie, Fabienne, Grainne, Saoirse, Seraphine, Simone, Mireille, Florette, Hanne & Elke.

Classics; Adele, Beatrice, Clementine, Esme, Isolde, Josephine, Lucille, Olive, Leonore & Hermione.

How Small Businesses Are Expanding Their Online Presence [INFOGRAPHIC]

Evadne Studio — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 11:53:29 +0000

via: The Expanding Small Business Web [INFOGRAPHIC]

How Small Businesses Are Using Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]

Evadne Studio — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:40:12 +0000

Crowdsourced Logo and Graphic Design by crowdSPRING

Evadne

havendene — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:32:08 +0000

Meaning: Pleasing One

Origin: Greek

Reason for Choosing: Do you ever get songs stuck in your head? You probably do. Most people do. Well I tend to get words or phrases stuck in my head as well. And from that came names once I began this nice little obsession. And I had Evadne stuck in my head all day. So, I thought, why not blog about it? And I did.

Opinion: It’s alright. I prefer Ariadne, a name which I believe is similar in many ways. Also I believe it’s a little hard to pronounce, as Eev-ad-nay.

Procrastination's a bitch

shrimpdude — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Argh, Jizzy Christ. If I want my UCAS to be sent off before Christmas (which I really really do) Then I have to send it off before Wednesday 2nd December. Which means I’ve been in a bit of a rush to sort everything out.

I promised myself that I would send off my UCAS by the end of November. In actual fact, I should have it done and dusted and sent off by tomorrow. I didn’t have much to do to be perfectly honest, I really should have got this done about a month ago. You see, procrastination is a bitch. But to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t so much procrastination as me priotising other things over UCAS. I had loads of time to do UCAS so why worry about it now?

I did actually aim to send off just after the medicine ones went off becuase I logically figured out that this would be the time when the least were being sent off, but somewhere along the line, this plan went tits up. I’ve just been had a go at for writing this blog instead of sorting it out. But let me explain:

I have three things I need to do. I need to fill in my A Levels, which I cannot do because I don’t have them here, they are at home. I attempted to contact home in order to have them removed from the safe – which I don’t have access to, but alas there was no answer. Thus stopping me from progressing to the next step.

The other thing I need to do is to fill in my LAMDA grade 7, but I rummaged through my locker and I couldn’t find my Grade 7, but I could find my grade 6 one. But I don’t want that one, as I’d get more UCAS points for my Grade 7. However, I have emailed Evadne Fisher, who is my LAMDA teacher (Oh Japseye, I should probably do the introduction and links for her…) and she’s going to email me back tomorrow.

The last and most difficult thing I need to do is finish my personal statement. Shouldn’t take me too long to do. Just need a bit of tweeking. I’ve asked for help from a few people and they’ve gave me some ways to tweek it. I just need to change the odd sentence (please note how I’ve spelt it correctly) now and then I have finished and I can send the bad boy off where it can be marked by some small bald guy who is probably called Lloyd who ates way too much asparagus.

So yeah, I’m getting it done. Should be done by the end of tomorrow and I can stop worrying! Oh yeah, 18 in ten days.

Adios x

Name of the Day: Evelina

appellationmountain — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:24:41 +0000

Ava is white hot. Eve is gaining fast. Plenty of parents are seeking similar-but-not-the-same variants of both.

Here’s an elaboration that just might fit the bill. Thanks to Laney McDonald for suggesting Evelina as Name of the Day.

Evelina might bring to mind an eighteenth century novel. Frances Burney’s 1778 Evelina: Or, the History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World is the tale of an aristocrat’s illegitimate daughter, raised in the country. Burney’s heroine is beautiful, wise and good. The story ends happily, with Evelina marrying an earl who is handsome, wise and good.

While Evelina isn’t a household name, the novel remains in print. And the work is said to have inspired other enduring favorites, like Jane Austen’s Emma.

The name was still in use in nineteenth century America, but she hasn’t ranked in the US Top 1000 since 1908. Today she’s likely to be viewed as an elaboration of Eve. That’s a valid perspective, but there’s more to her.

Consider:

The Biblical Eve comes from the Hebrew chavva – to breathe – or chaya – to live;
Eva is a Latinate form of Eve;
Ava is sometimes listed as variant of Eve/Eva, or may come from the Germanic element avi – lively;
The Germanic rarity Avila – also probably derived from avi - became slightly more common in honor of the sixteenth century Spanish Saint Teresa of Ávila;
Aveline and Avelina probably started out as diminutives of Avila. Aveline was in use in England following the Norman invasion – I found a handful in the historical record, from circa 1090 and 1165;
Alternately, Aveline could be related to Avice or Aveza often connected to avi, but with the added connection to Avis – the Latin for bird;
Others link Aveline to Gaelic names or the French word for hazelnut;
Evelina emerged as a Latinized version of Aveline.

Evelyn is also a member of this sorority – only this one started out as a surname version of Aveline and company, and was mainly bestowed on boys from the 1600s right up into the late 19th century. (Think novelist Evelyn Waugh.) In 1910, she peaked at #10 for girls born in the US – and appears to be headed in that direction again.

Medieval variants include Avilina and Avelyn. It’s easy to imagine both of those, as well as Evalyn and Evalina, in use today.

While the meaning is elusive, the possibilities are uniformly positive.

Similar names currently in the US Top 1000 include:

Ava (#5)
Avery (#38)
Evelyn (#54)
Eva (#114)
Evangline (#450)
Eve (#655)
Averie (#768)
Evelin (#811)
Evie (#853)
Averi (#966)
Avah (#972)

And don’t forget rarities like Evadne, or boys’ choices like Evan.

All this makes for Evelina’s only real flaw. She’s graceful and literary – a gentle antique right at home with Isabella and Sophia. But her sound can’t be considered distinctive. You’ll be forever correcting the spelling.

On the other hand, that could be the very reason for her appeal. If you love Ava but want something just a smidge different, Evelina is a more sophisticated choice than, say, spelling it Ayvah.

With an appealing literary heroine, a bunch of related names with appealing meanings and the oh-so-current vowel-plus-v sound, Evelina is certainly one to consider.

Evadne, Unknowing of Alpheios's Consultation of the Delphic Oracle

painandlight — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:31:15 +0000

How could I not have loved the beautiful god
whose hair and skin are like gold
and whose eyes burn a cool fire?

He spoke to me in a voice so sweet,
words flowed from his tongue like silk.
And the songs he sang, so lovely, surely the Muses
must weep at their beauty.

(And a few, I think, would elicit a blush
even from Erato herself, though this is never mentioned
in the stories they tell of a god such as He.
It wouldn’t be proper.)

And when he desired for me to come with him to his bed,
he promised me no great gifts of unerring prophecy or any
dazzling trinkets that gods may offer in the moment of seduction,
but I had no care for these anyway;
He but asked and I went willing, for a song,
for one night that has burned itself on my soul.

In time I found that one night had left its mark
upon more than my soul, and soon I was to have a child.
A son I would have loved, but for shame cannot keep.
If I told, none would believe that he was
begotten by a god.

Four days past, in a hidden thicket I lay,
pangs of the birth like no pain I’ve ever felt before.
He sent to my side help, the birth-goddess and the Fates.
When it ended, I cried in relief, and I cried in joy, short-lived
and love for the child, so small, now in my arms.

It is with great anguish I chose to do this thing.
I don’t know how I will live with it, I’ll worry about that later.
If I think twice now, I’ll turn back.

In this field of violets, surrounded by honeybees, I’ll lay him down.
I’ll walk away, and I won’t look back.
No doubt he will perish, but I will pray for a miracle and try to forget
this child of mine and of the god of light.

One night that has burned itself upon my soul
Now has torn my heart in two.

(If you read my previous post, you know that I have not told the entire story here. Also, if you haven’t figured out, I’ve taken some reasonable artistic license and fabricated some detail. This is a departure from my normal writings,but I think I will be trying this sort of thign again in the future.)

Name of the Day: Evadne

appellationmountain — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:53:26 +0000

Ever since Xanthe received such a warm welcome, we’ve been thinking about a similar mythological moniker long on our radar.

Today’s Name of the Day is Evadne.

After years of hibernation, Eve returned to the US Top 1000, ranking #618 last year. Eva comes in at an impressive #117. And the elaborate Evangeline re-entered the charts in 2006, reaching #459 in 2007. Factor in Evie (#806) and Evelyn (a white hot #55), and it is safe to say that the Eves are back.

Evadne, usually pronounced eh VAD nee, offers an interesting twist. While the name has never ranked in the US and is equally rare worldwide, the nickname options Eve, Evie and Eva allow this unusual moniker to blend in on the playground.

While Eve is likely derived from a Hebrew word for life (chayah) or breath (chavah), most of the other Ev- names trace back to the Greek element eu-, for good. There’s no consensus on the full meaning of Evadne, but neither of the mythological bearers of the name had a pleasant time of it.

The first Evadne was married to the arrogant warrior Capaneus. Her husband ran afoul of Zeus and met his death by thunderbolt. Grief stricken, Evadne threw herself onto his burning body and they perished together. Points for loyalty, we suppose.

The second was Poseidon’s daughter. Unhappily pregnant by Apollo, she abandoned their son, Iamus. Legend has it that he survived and founded a priestly order known as the Iamidae; they’d eventually become responsible for organizing the ancient Olympic games. This Evadne might be a bit tougher to redeem, but she’s undeniably obscure – it’s not quite like naming your daughter Medea.

We first tripped across Evadne in the original episode of 70s television show Wonder Woman. Evadne was Diana’s cousin, who lost out to her in the bid to be the next heroine from Paradise Island.

Despite her shortcomings in myth, there is a strong literary and even feminist undercurrent to the name:

Evadne Price penned the 1930 anti-war novel Not So Quiet: Stepdaughters of War; however, she is better known by the pen name Helen Zenna Smith;
Gilbert Adair writes sophisticated Agatha Christie-style mysteries featuring brainy lady detective Evadne Mount;
In the 1890s, Sarah Grand’s anti-marriage protest novel The Heavenly Twins featured Evadne Frayling;
Richard Lalor Scheil’s 1819 drama Evadne was a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, with Evadne in the role of Hero – a woman wrongly accused of infidelity;
In 1619, Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher used the name for a character in their play, The Maid’s Tragedy. The piece was performed by the King’s Men, most famous as the troupe to which William Shakespeare had belonged.

We do find Evadne in the historical record in the late 1800s in England, but we’re not confident that it was a common choice. Instead, we suspect that then – as now – Eve names were popular. Along with Evadne, we find Evia, Evalyn, Evelyn, Evalina and Evangeline.

With Zoe and Chloe all the rage today, it seems like Greek names for girls could be big. This one also boasts an intriguing Victorian-era vibe and associations with a popular element in many mainstream girls’ names.

If you’re hoping to stand out while still fitting in, Evadne might be the choice for you.