Nameless characters: The silly explanation in the Preface of Roxana (post 2) by Daniel Defoe (post 3) for why most of the characters are nameless.

from The Preface

“The Scene is laid so near the Place where the Main Part of it was transacted, that it was necessary to conceal Names and Persons; lest what cannot be yet entirely forgot in that Part of the Town, shou’d be remember’d, and the Facts trac’d back too plainly, by the many People yet living, who wou’d know the Persons by the Particulars.

“It is not always necessary that the Names of Persons shou’d be discover’d, tho’ the History may be many Ways useful; and if we shou’d be always oblig’d to name the Persons, or not to relate the Story, the Consequence might be only this, That many a pleasant and delightful History wou’d be Buried in the Dark, and the World be depriv’d both of the Pleasure and the Profit of it.”

Now, obviously, since good pseudonyms do not make people more identifiable, the preface’s explanation for why most of the novel’s characters are nameless is pure nonsense.

To understand the more probable explanation for the novel’s nameless characters, you need to know about naming in novels, and names in multiple personality.

Naming in Novels

In past posts, I have quoted some novelists as saying that their characters come to them already having names. These novelists consider it their job to tell the truth about their characters, and so, if a character came to them nameless, then to put a name on that character would be a lie, and the novelist would not want to do it.

I infer that most of Defoe’s characters in this novel came to him without names, and he did not want to lie about them.

Names in Multiple Personality

In multiple personality, some alternate personalities come with names, but many do not.

Daniel Defoe. Roxana [1724]. Edited by John Mullan. Oxford University Press, 2008.