Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction, and the Drama, Vol. 4 by Brewer

Featured

Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction, and the Drama, Vol. 4 by Brewer

(2 User reviews) 3532

By Isabella Wilson Posted on Dec 26, 2025

In Category - Companion Stories

Authors: Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham, 1810-1897 Published By : Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham, 1810-1897

Book Language: English

Ever wondered where Sherlock Holmes got his last name from, or why so many villains are named 'Malcolm'? This isn't your typical storybook. It's a massive, fascinating reference guide that acts like a detective's notebook for the entire world of classic stories. Brewer spent his life collecting the origins, meanings, and connections behind thousands of character names from myths, legends, novels, and plays. Reading it feels like getting a secret key to unlock hidden meanings in everything from Shakespeare to Dickens. It's the ultimate 'behind-the-scenes' for anyone who loves stories.

Read "Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction, and the Drama, Vol. 4 by Brewer" Online

This book is available in the public domain. Start reading the digital edition below.

START READING FULL BOOK

Instant Access Mobile Friendly

Book Preview

A short preview of the book’s content is shown below to give you an idea of its style and themes.

This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_. The topic headings were printed in =boldface= type, and are delimited with ‘_’. The original volume promised many illustrations. However, the edition used here had none of them. The List of Illustrations is retained; however, the pages indicated, which were struck out and corrected with hand-written notes, were not valid and have been removed. The text was printed with two columns per page, which could not be reproduced in this format. Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation. The following less-common characters are found in this book: ă (a with breve), ā (a with macron), ĕ (e with breve), ē (e with macron), ĭ (i with breve), ī (i with macron), ŏ (o with breve), ō (o with macron), ŭ (u with breve), ū (u with macron). If they do not display properly, please try changing your font. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration] CHARACTER SKETCHES OF ROMANCE, FICTION AND THE DRAMA:::: A REVISED AMERICAN EDITION OF THE READER’S HANDBOOK BY THE REV. E. COBHAM BREWER, LL.D. EDITED BY MARION HARLAND ---------- VOLUME IV [Illustration: colophon] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW YORK SELMAR HESS PUBLISHER ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MDCCCXCII ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright, 1892, by SELMAR HESS. PHOTOGRAVURES PRINTED ON THE HESS PRESS. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. ------- VOLUME IV. ------- PHOTOGRAVURES AND ETCHINGS. _Illustration_ _Artist_ KATRINA VAN TASSEL (_colored_) E. A. ABBEY RICHELIEU (BOOTH AS) ROSALIND AND ORLANDO SHOP (THE) OF FIGARO J. J. ARANDA THEODORA BENJAMIN CONSTANT TINY TIM (BOB CRACHIT AND) FREDERICK BARNARD WELLERS (THE TWO) FREDERICK BARNARD WOTAN TAKES LEAVE OF BRUNHILD K. DIELITZ WOOD ENGRAVINGS AND TYPOGRAVURES. ROSINA AND COUNT ALMAVIVA FERD. KELLER SALLY IN OUR ALLEY E. S. KENNEDY SALOME DANCING BEFORE KING HEROD G. ROCHEGROSSE SAMSON AND DELILAH J. ECHENA SANCHO AND THE DUCHESS C. R. LESLIE SAPPHO W. KRAY SARAGOSSA (AUGUSTINA, THE MAID OF) SIR DAVID WILKIE SATAN WOUNDED GUSTAVE DORÉ SATURDAY NIGHT (THE COTTER’S) THOMAS FAED SAVILLE (THERON) AND HIS WIFE FREDERICK DIELMAN SAYE-AND-SELE (LORD) BROUGHT BEFORE JACK CADE CHAS. LUCY SCHARLOT (HUON KILLS) GABRIEL MAX SCHEHERAZADE FERD. KELLER SELLERS (COLONEL), RAYMOND AS SENATORS (OTHELLO BEFORE THE) CARL BECKER SGANARELLE AND PANCRACE GRANVILLE SHARP (BECKY) FREDERICK BARNARD SHIP (THE BUILDING OF THE) TOBY ROSENTHAL SHORE (JANE) SHYLOCK (IRVING AS) SIEGFRIED AWAKENS BRUNHILD OTTO DONNER VON RICHTER SIEGFRIED’S BIER (KRIEMHILD AT) EMIL LAUFFER SIGYN (LOKI AND) CARL GEBHARDT SILVIA C. E. PERUGINI SLEEPING BEAUTY (THE): ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE GUSTAVE DORÉ SLENDER (ANNE PAGE AND) SIR A. W. CALLCOTT SNOW-WHITE ALBERT TSCHAUTSCH STEENIE STEENSON AND REDGAUNTLET W. B. HOLE STUART (MARY) AND RIZZIO DAVID NEAL SULTAN SALADIN (THE) AND HIS SISTER SITTAH SURFACE (JOSEPH) AND LADY TEAZLE SWIVELLER (DICK) AND THE MARCHIONESS FREDERICK BARNARD SYKES (BILL) FREDERICK BARNARD TAM O’SHANTER AND THE WITCHES JOHN FAED TARQUIN (LUCRETIA AND SEXTUS) ALEX. CABANEL TARTUFFE (ELMIRE AND) CARL HOFF TELEMACHUS AND CALYPSO JEAN RAOUX TELL (WILLIAM) AND CONRAD BAUMGARTEN A. BAUER THETIS BRINGING THE ARMOR TO ACHILLES BENJAMIN WEST THISBE E. LONG THOU (CINQ MARS AND DE) LED TO EXECUTION TITANIA EPHRAIM KEYSER TOBY (UNCLE) AND THE WIDOW WADMAN C. R. LESLIE TOSCA (LA) L. LELOIR TRISTRAM (THE DEATH OF) TROIL (MAGNUS) AND HIS DAUGHTERS ROB. HERDMAN TROILUS AND CRESSIDA V. W. BROMLEY TROLL (ATTA), FROM TULLIA ERNST HILDEBRAND ULYSSES AND TELEMACHUS (THE MEETING BETWEEN) UNDINE MULLER URSUS AND HOMO G. ROCHEGROSSE VALJEAN (JEAN) EMILE BAYARD VALKYRIE (THE) VALLIÈRE AT THE CONVENT (LOUISE EMMANUEL VAN DEN DE LA) BUSSCHE VAN WINKLE (JEFFERSON...

This is a limited preview. Download the book to read the full content.

Continue Reading Full Book

This book isn't a novel with a plot. Think of it as a massive encyclopedia, but one written with clear passion. Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction, and the Drama, Volume 4 is part of a huge set where Ebenezer Cobham Brewer defines and explains thousands of characters from Western literature. He tells you who they are, what book or myth they're from, and most importantly, what their names mean and the history behind them.

The Story

There's no storyline. Instead, you open to any page and find a collection of entries, organized alphabetically. You might look up 'Iago' from Othello and learn about the name's Spanish origins and its connection to 'James.' Flip to 'Lancelot' and get a summary of his role in Arthurian legend, plus notes on how other writers have portrayed him. It's a book built for browsing and connecting dots between stories written centuries apart.

Why You Should Read It

I love this because it makes you a more informed reader. Suddenly, you notice that an author didn't just pick a name randomly. A character named 'Dorian' carries the weight of ancient Greek tribes. A heroine named 'Lucy' connects to light. It adds a whole new layer to reading the classics. Brewer's writing is straightforward but packed with knowledge, making you feel like you have a friendly, incredibly well-read professor right on your shelf.

Final Verdict

Perfect for curious readers, book club enthusiasts, writers looking for meaningful names, and anyone who geeks out on 'Easter eggs' in literature. It's not a book you read cover-to-cover in one sitting. It's a companion. Keep it nearby when you're reading an old novel or watching a period drama, and look up the names. You'll be amazed at what you discover.

ℹ️ Copyright Free

This text is dedicated to the public domain. Thank you for supporting open literature.