I found it just as delightful as the first time round (although I remembered how the murderer was killing his victims, I didn't remember who he was or what his motive could be), but I'd also like to explain how I read an Eco novel. I do not go into one expecting to understand every single sentence, or even every single idea. Instead, I expect Eco to create his own reality, and I'm just along for the ride. So I don't freak out if something confuses me; I just keep reading, and usually it becomes clear. I was reading reviews over at Amazon, and the negative ones were all like 'all of the people who say they liked it are lying to be pretentious, because there's no way they understood it.' I think those people have missed the point; this is a novel, a separate world, not a philosophical treatise. Sure, there's a lot of medieval philosophy in it, but those discussions are to better illuminate the characters and the setting. And while I remember my high school Latin well enough to get the gist of the various Latin passages, I certainly didn't know every word. So, if you go into this book expecting to know exactly what's going on at every moment, you will probably hate it. If, on the other hand, you'd love to imagine life from the perspective of a medieval monk, and read about a juicy mystery in the meantime, I think you'll enjoy it.

In the above paragraph, I assumed you'd heard of The Name of the Rose, but just in case you haven't, I'll briefly explain what to expect. The majority of the book is the memoir of Adso, a Benedictine monk who was a novice in 1327 attached to Brother William, a British Franciscan. Italy, and the Catholic world, is in turmoil; the Pope and secular kings are clashing, and the Franciscans have been accused of a major heresy. William has been touring through Italy for political purposes (since we hear the story from Adso's perspective, we don't know precisely what mission William had), and he and Adso end up at an Italian Benedictine monastery renouned for the largest library in Christendom. Right before their arrival, a monk had been found dead, and since William is a reknowned logician and investigator, the abbot tells him to figure out the murderer, preferably before an inquisitor sent by the Pope shows up in a few days time. It quickly becomes clear that the murder revolves around the library, which is laid out in a secret manner only the Librarian, his assistant, and the abbot know. Others may only request and read any of its many books with permission, which has been granted less and less often recently.

Since Eco wrote from the perspective of a medieval monk, the murder mystery does not always have front and center; if you go in expecting a simple book, you'll probably end up angry (for a well-written and straightforward mystery series about medieval monks, check out Ellis Peters' Brother Caedfel books instead, beginning with A Morbid Taste for Bones). The monks often discuss theological points (i.e.: laughter, poverty, sex), William often lectures Adso on the principles of logic, and when the inquisitor and his companions eventually arrive, there's a whole lot of mess concerning theology and, more importantly, power that breaks out. If you don't care about any of this, I'd recommend you skip the book. But since even as a child I imagined being a medieval monk (seriously; never wanted to be a nun though), I really enjoyed all of the discussions; Eco is a medievalist by trade, so he's at home in such a world. In his postscript, Eco refers to the first hundred pages as a kind of "penance or initiation," so if you're unsure about whether this is a book for you, try out the beginning. If it's not for you, you'll know pretty quickly, but do try to give it a fair chance. While the tone might turn you off at first, once you settle into it you might find yourself enjoying it!

At its heart, I think The Name of the Rose is a cry for freedom of knowledge and the exchange of ideas; that so many wonderful books are locked away in a library built as a maze is at the root of most of the abbey's problems. The debates about heresy are also fundamentally about whether the Church will allow people of competing viewpoints to debate, or if one, official interpretation will be supported, if necessary, by murder. William, Eco's primary 'lecture' vehicle since he's the older, experienced monk that the narrator looks up and often turns to for advice, obviously believes that even if an idea is wrong, it deserves its place and ought to be talked about. And this is a lesson as important in the twenty-first century as in the fourteenth.

Have you read The Name of the Rose, or any other of Eco's fiction? What did you think?

I didn't snap out of my British nineteenth century tendencies for awhile, and that week I read two other books set during that time period: Frances Burney's Evelina and A Broken Vessel, the second in Kate Ross' historical mystery series. Interestingly enough, both of them dealt with issues of the precarious status experienced by many women during that time.

When I picked up Evelina for the What's in a Name? Challenge, I was expecting something along the lines of Jane Austen, only with more high society, less wit, and an epistolatory style The latter aspect concerned me the most: I don't usually enjoy novels told through letters. Fortunately, most of the book might as well be told via Evelina's diary, since it's one continuous letter to her guardian, so the style didn't get in the way of the story. That doesn't mean I liked reading the book, though. At first I did! Evelina is a young woman whose mother died in childbirth and whose father, though a lord, refuses to acknowledger her. She's been raised in a small village by a kindly vicar, who only wants to protect her from the society that was her mother's undoing. But through several circumstances, she ends up gong to London with some family friends. She goes to several assemblies and commits more than one truly funny faux pas. Her discomfort had me giggling, and I began to admire Burney's dialogue. But then, Evelina acquires herself what we would now call a stalker. And she begins to have to associate with low-class, vulgar people who were continually upsetting her (and me). The threat of violence appears around the edges; at various times, Evelina narrowly avoids what I can only call date rape by her stalker, and men are continually falling in love with her and not taking no for an answer. She gets lost in a park in the dark, and men surround her and start tormenting her, while I began hyperventilating at the hints of gang rape. I'm going to include this rather-long scene, so that you can decide whether you're up to reading this one or not.

...and immediately, and with a swiftness which fear only could have given me, I flew rather than ran up the walk, hoping to secure my safety by returning to the lights and company we had so foolishly left: but, before I could possibly accomplish my purpose, I was met by another party of men, one of whom placed himself so directly in my way, calling out, 'Whither so fast, my love?' -that I could only have proceeded by running into his arms.
In a moment, both my hands, by different persons, were caught hold of; and one of them, in a most familiar manner, desired to accompany me in a race, when I ran next; while the rest of the party stood still and laughed.
I was almost distracted with terror, and so breathless with running, that I could not speak, till another advancing, said, I was as handsome as an angel, and desired to be of the party. I then just articulated, 'For Heaven's sake, Gentlemen, let me pass!'...[Her stalker happens to hear her yelling, and comes over.]
'Gentlemen,' cried he, disengaging them all from me in an instant, 'pray leave this lady to me.'
Loud laughs proceeded from every mouth, and two or three said, 'Willoughby has all the luck!' But one of them, in a passionate manner, vowed he would not give me up, for that he had the first right to me, and would support it.

I could go on, since her 'rescuer' leads her into darker bushes, but I think you get the idea. The utter helplessness of Evelina in the face of all kinds of horrible men upset me tremendously: sometimes, my hands would actually start shaking. It was at its worst during volume two, but the danger is almost always there. In fact, the only time I could breathe easily was when Evelina was under the protection of a certain lord, who declared himself her brother and willing to defend her honour. And even then, I was concerned, because of course he wasn't really her brother, and it upset me that Evelina couldn't just stand on her own two feet (I wasn't upset with Evelina herself, but with society and circumstances). There is a cute proposal scene; I'm typing out what the man says, but I'm not revealing his identity so don't worry about spoilers:

'Mock you!' repeated he earnestly, 'no, I revere you! I esteem and I admire you above all human beings! -you are the friend to whom my soul is attached as to its better half! you are the most amiable, the most perfect of women! and you are dearer to me than language has the power of telling!'

And the book has a happy ending, albeit a rather abrupt one. But all together, this book was much seedier than I expected, and I'm not sure if Evelina's continual danger was to titillate the original audience, or was Burney's way of critiquing what she saw around her, or what. But it certainly upset me a great deal, and I can't say I'd recommend this one (although keep in mind it seems I'm in the minority of book bloggers on this one). It reminded me too much of the inherent vulnerabilities of being a girl.

Fortunately, while A Broken Vessel touches on similar ideas, I would wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone! Julian Kestrel, who we first meet in Cut to the Quick, is back. Since solving the earlier case, he has become more interested in crime, so when his valet's sister (a "Covent Garden nun" named Sally) shows up with a mysterious letter she got off one of her *ahem* clients, he can't resist reading it. The letter writer is an obviously gentile woman, who has fallen on bad times and is desperately begging for help; Julian decides to find the woman and offer her his own aid. He enlists his valet and Sally in the search, and soon they've uncovered much more than they bargained for. I don't want to say anything more, since it is a mystery after all, but it's as splendidly well-written as the first, and once again I didn't figure out the ending until I read it (very unusual for me)! Ross focuses more on character development than in the first one, which is just wonderful to see. She was an incredibly talented writer, so even if your taste doesn't normally bend towards mysteries, you should give this series a shot.

Favourite Passages (from the Ross)
"You needn't give me that knowing look. Of course my feelings are personal. I thought that was obvious by now."
"It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"I'm not ashamed. I'm baffled. I don't understand what I see in her. She has none of the traits I admire in women. She's little and brown and has a nose like a pug's, and her voice is like rusty nails scraping on slate. She can barely read, knows noworld outside London, thinks Mozart is something you buy at a pastrycook's. And yet-" He shook his head.

"You ain't jealous, are you?"
"No, I gnash my teeth for exercise...."

    चिट्ठालोक से अलग भी यह सवाल मुझसे पूछा जाता रहा है लेकिन चिट्ठालोक में अनामदासों की भरमार के कारण मेरे जैसे अललटप्पू नाम की बाबत यह सवाल पूछा जाना लाजमी है। 'शब्दों का सफ़र' पर लगातार कुछ दिन छपने के संक्रमण के प्रभाव में सर्वप्रथम यह बता दूँ कि प्लेटो ,प्लातो, अप्लातो ,अफ़लातू इस क्रम में यूनानी से फारसीकरण हुआ है । ऐसे ही इसी परम्परा के दार्शनिक सॉक्रेटीस और ऍरिस्टॉटल भारत में सुकरात और अरस्तू पुकारे जाते हैं । मेरे दो भतीजे सुकरात और अरस्तू भी हैं । 

  मेरे पिता उपनिषद के नचिकेता और अशोक की पुत्री संघमित्रा के नाम मेरे बड़े भाई बहन के रख चुके थे तब तीसरे नम्बर पर यूनानी सभ्यता से यह नाम लिया गया । वैसे गुजराती में अफ़लातून के माएने हँसमुख भी है ।

Booked to Die is set in Denver, in the early 1990s. Cliff Janeway is a cop, a former boxer, and a book collector on the side. When one of Denver's book scouts (poor people who scour cheap used bookstores looking for good books underpriced, then turn around and sell them to fancier bookstores) gets killed, Janeway ends up taking the case. I enjoyed the book collecting stuff (it kind of reminded me of A Gentle Madness), but this mystery was waaay too hard-boiled for me. It's got the hard-ass-cop, the beautiful-but-mysterious-and-unattainable gal, the criminal-but-rich-and-therefore-untouchable villain. In my head, Janeway looked an awful lot of Humphrey Bogart. While I think people who don't mind that style of mystery will really enjoy this one-the mystery itself is a good one, and it's well-written-it wasn't my cup of tea.

Other Book Bloggers' Reviews:
Passion for the Page

I just finished Elizabeth Peters' Crocodile on the Sandbank. It's about as far as you can get from Booked to Die-set in Victorian Egypt, with the main character Amelia Peabody, an Englishwoman of independent means bordering on spinsterhood. Along with her new companion, Evelyn, she's off to explore Egypt for four months. But while visiting a dig run by the Emerson brothers, it seems that a mummy might be after them. Meanwhile, beautiful Evelyn and handsome Walter (the younger of the brothers) hit it off rather well...I expected to absolutely love this one, but I can't say that I did. In fact, I would've put it down after the first chapter, but my mom had just read it and said it got really good towards the end. The whole book is narrated by Amelia, and while I admit to a bit of prejudice (I had a roommate by that name who is one of the most obnoxious people I've ever met), I don't think I'm the only one that found her stuck-up and annoying. Nevertheless, her tone moderates a little as the book progresses, and if all of the characters feel a trifle flat, at least there's Egypt to fall back on! I thought the mystery part was dead obvious, but it was still interesting getting there. All in all, I'll be up for trying the next one in the series, but if the characters don't gain some real dimension, I think that'll be the end for me.

Oh-did I mention I got books in the mail?! Regular readers (hehe-what a cocky phrase) will know that I review for Curled Up with a Good Book, and last time my editor asked which books I wanted to review, I decide to indulge myself. This box is the result:

And here they are in two stacks, one for fiction and one for non. (click on any of the photos for a big size)   Starting from the top of the fiction pile, Special Assigments by Boris Akunin (the latest in his mystery series set in imperial Russia...I haven't read any before, so of course I had to bookmooch The Winter Queen, which started it all), The Other Book by Philip Womack (an ARC of a children's/YA book all about a twelve-year-old boy who finds a book in an ancient British manor that leads him into other worlds), Looking for Alaska by John Green (another YA book-this one won an award last year, and is about a boy's coming-of-age at boarding school), House of Many Gods by Kiana Davenport (it's set in native-Hawaii, which is a place I know nothing about, and is about a woman struggling to overcome her dysfunctional family), Song of the Crow by Layne Maheu (tells the story of Noah from the crow's point of view), The Lizard Cage by Karen Connolly (set in Burma, it tells the story of a jailed musician trying to survive), Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett (the third in a children's series that starts with The Wee Free Men, which I read last year and loved...now I have to read A Hat of Full of Sky first!), and God's Spy by Juan Gomez-Jurado (a Spanish thriller set in Vatican City).  Now for the non-fiction, and let's start with the bottom for variety, Summits by David Reynolds (an international relations-y book about six summits that shaped the twentieth century), Voyage of the Turtle by Carl Safina (I'm reading Safina's book about oceans for the Planet Earth 2008 challenge, and this follow-up all about turtles seems really good), Unhooked by Laura Sessions Step (the author followed a group of high school girls and two groups of college girls to learn about their approach to sex and love; since I'm a young woman, I think this'll be an interesting read), Not a Happy Camper by Mindy Schneider (a memoir about sleep-away summer camp in the 70s; I never went to any summer camps, so they've always held a strange fascination for me), My Ox is Broken! by Adam-Troy Casto (this one talks all about the TV show The Amazing Race; detailing routes from the first nine seasons; since I've only seen the two most recent, it should be an interesting take on a travelogue), and Crawling by Elisha Cooper (a memoir about the author's first year of fatherhood).  Whew!  Now the only question is: where to begin?

Now that a new year is here, I can share my plans!  I have one huge resolution for next year: I will not buy or bookmooch any new books until I've read all of the unread books waiting on my shelf.  Why, do you ask?  Well, because while I only bought 37 books this year, I mooched an obscene 116 (10 are still pending).  Yep, I think it's an addiction.  So, until I'm limiting myself to books already owned or that I can get from my library.  With that in mind, here are the other things I hope to accomplish with my reading this year:
Read more classics.
Read more international works.
Read more short stories.
Keep fiction:nonfiction at 3:1.
Reread more books.
Be more open to YA/children's lit.

If you see my 2007 review post below, you'll see that the first two resolutions are to address my concerns in those areas. The short stories issue is something I've been thinking about for awhile (and mooching about as well), and the fic:nonfic is a more modest version of last year's attempt to up my non-fiction reading. I also was a bit concerned that my old favourites were getting short shrift, hence the rereading resolution! Finally, bloggers have reintroduced me to the joy of YA lit, and I want to keep that going. Of course, my top resolution of the year is to have fun reading. I think that sometimes that gets lost amid the lists!

While I withdrew from challenges for awhile, I'm now back and raring to go. Unlike last year, when the idea of a year-long challenge was too much commitment for me, most of the challenges I'm looking at will run the whole year. Additionally, they are fulfilled entirely with books from my shelves or (in some small cases) the library. Basically, it's my way of providing an incentive to stop buying books, as well as incorporating my resolutions! Without further ado, here is the (admittedly long) list of challenges and books for next year!

The Mythopoeic Award Challenge
Runs all year, the goal is to read seven books from the list of winners/nominees for the Mythopoetic Award. My picks:
Little, Big by John Crowley (I mooched this forever ago), The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (a reread of my favourite Camelot story), The Giver by Lois Lowry (one of my favourite books of all time, and one I try to reread at least every other year), The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt (a short story collection recommended by Nymeth by one of my favourite authors), Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (YA lit from my library-sounds neat), The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (highly recommended by Susan, another YA library pick), A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett (a YA library sequel to The Wee Little Men, which I read this year and thoroughly enjoyed)

The Numbers Challenge
Runs through June, participants choose five books with numbers in the title.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (this is going to double as part of my Sci-Fi experience, since he's the father of sci-fi and part of my last book purchase for the foreseeable future in B&N's classics sale), Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit (a classic children's author, also part of the B&N classics sale), Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (a modern classic, which I was halfway through when a move made it disappear long enough for me to forget the whole story), Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger (bookmooched, since I've heard he's a great short story teller), and Pu-239 by Kenneth Kalfur (a short story collection focusing on Russia).

The Sci-Fi Experience
Since I referenced it above, Carl's hosting a sci-fi experience wherein he invites us all to explore the genre of sci-fi in January and February. Since I tend to avoid it (although I really like fantasy), I thought this was a good chance to explore, so I'm going to try to read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (considered the father of the genre), Orsinian Tales by Ursula leGuin (a short story collection by an author I've heard a lot of good things about), Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (not a traditional sci-fi author, but should round out my choices and gives me an international boost), and two by Orson Scott Card: Enchantment and Lost Boys (both recommended by Chris, who gave me a very thoughtful guide to one of his favourite authors).

The Short Story Challenge
I'm going with Option Four, which gives me the whole year to read five-ten short story collections by new-to-me authors. I've been mooching a ton of ss collections that sounded good. Here's the pool I'll select from: The Lost Stories of Louisa May Alcott (classic), Bliss and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield (int'l-New Zealand), Miguel Street by V.S. Naipul (int'l-Caribbean, and mooched on Nymeth's recommendation), Dressing Up for the Carnival by Carol Shields (int'l-Canada), The Red Passport by Katherine Shonk (int'l-Russia), Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender, A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You by Amy Bloom, Get Down by Asali Solomon, Stained Glass Elegies by Shusaku Endo(int'l-Japan), Pack of Cards by Penelope Lively, and The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty.

In Their Shoes Challenge
In this all-year challenge, participants choose how many books to read that are memoirs, biographies, or autobiographies. I'm not sure how many of the following I'll get to: Black Elk Speaks by Black Elk with the aid of John Neihardt (a Native American memoir), The Spy Wore Red by Aline Romanos (an international memoir of WWII intrigue by a duchess), Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters by William and Arthur Austen-Leigh, Simone de Beauvoir by Deirdre Bair, Che Guevara by Jon Lee Anderson, Joan of Arc by Prenoud and Clin (a French biography), Wild Swans by Jung Chang (intl-China), Unbowed by Wangari Maathai (a memoir by the famous Kenyan activist), and Confessions of an Economic Hitman John Perkins.

What's in A Name? Challenge
Another all-year challenge hosted by Annie, this one has participants choosing six books with specific requirements. My choices are From the Land of Green Ghosts by Pascal Khoo Thwe (colour-and int'l), The Pope's Rhinoceros by Lawrence Norfolk (animal), Evelina by Frances Burney (name-and a classic), Train to Pakistan Kushwant Singh (place-and int'l), In the Eye of the Sun by Ahdaf Soueif (weather-and int'l), and The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (plant-and an int'l reread).

My Year of Reading Dangerously
This one is a year-long book club, with the people over at Estella's Revenge choosing a book from a different 'scary' category every month. For the most part, I'm going to read the same ones they've chosen. However, I'll be making four changes:
January: Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens (since I've already read Great Expectations twice and this one is on my shelf), June: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy for 'Russian' (I'll be reading a different translation, although I've already read the book...I've read Lolita quite often, so I'll probably still join in on the discussion), July: Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye by Lois Lowry for 'Adolescent' (I just read The Chocolate War this year), and October: The Plot Against America by Philip Roth for 'Jewish' (because I have this Roth on my shelf already).

and finally, last but certainly not least, The Russian Reading Challenge
Another all year challenge, participants are supposed to read four books either by Russians, set in or about Russia. I originally had a huge, long post typed up on this that listed about fifty books I'd love to read. However, I decided that that was silly, so I pared it down to what I already own. Here's the list: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, trans. Larissa Polokhonsky and Richard Pevear (very, very excited...see Christmas post), The Brothers Karamoazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, trans. Polokhonsky and Pevear (I very much enjoyed their translation of Crime and Punishment, so I'm looking forward to this), Dreams of My Russian Summer by Andre Makine (you have to have some emigre lit somewhere!), and A History of Russia by Nicolas Raisanovsky and Mark Steinberg (a gift from my Russian professor, a slightly less than 800 page account of Russia from ancient to presentday).

So, I'm committed to reading at least forty-seven books already (if I read all of my pools for the Short Story and In Their Shoes challenges, that'll be fifty-six). Actually, considering the carry-overs from the Outmoded Authors, Unread Authors and Seafaring Challenges, add six more! Still, that's not too bad, and it should be a lot of fun! Of course, this many challenges, lasting all year, means that I won't be listing books in my sidebar, just the pretty buttons with links. A list of books will be found in a new page. ;)

    मीरा जब प्रोफेसर इन्दिरा के यहाँ झाड़ू-पोछा-बरतन-कपड़ा करने पहले-पहल गयी तब उसे बता दिया गया कि उसका नाम मालती रहेगा । प्रो. इन्दिरा के घर में मीरा के पहले काम करने मालती आती थी ।

    मन्जू भी मीरा की तरह काशी विश्विद्यालय परिसर में अध्यापकों के घरों में काम करती है । उसका नाम इसलिए बदला गया क्योंकि मालकिन की किसी रिश्तेदार का नाम भी मन्जू था ।

    फ्रिजीडेर कम्पनी के रेफ़्रिजरटर का छोटा नाम 'फ्रिज' ऐसा चला कि कम्पनी का उत्पाद जहाँ उपलब्ध नहीं है , वहाँ भी रेफ़्रिजरेटर को फ्रिज ही कहा जाता है । भारत में वनस्पति के लिए डालडा और कपड़ा धोने के पाउडर के लिए सर्फ या निरमा चलता है । ओडिसा में मैंने स्टेट्समैन दैनिक मँगवाने के लिए " इंग्रेजी 'समाज' " माँगते हुए लोगों को सुना है । 'समाज' ओडिया का सब से अधिक बिकने वाला दैनिक है ।

    व्यक्ति या वस्तु का नाम बदल देना ,उसकी हैसियत पर निर्भर है । हैसियत मजबूत हुई तो अन्य वस्तुओं के साथ उसका नाम जुड़ जाता है । मार्टिन लूथर किंग ,सीज़र शावेज ,लान्ज़ा देल वास्ता , लेच वॉलेसा , नेलसन मण्डेला के साथ 'गाँधी' जुड़ गया ।

    उत्तर भारत में ईसाई पादरियों द्वारा कार्यक्षेत्र में नाम बदल लेने का चलन व्यापक है । उनके नाम एलेक्स , मैथ्यू , जैसे नामों से बदल कर फ़ादर स्नेहानन्द , फ़ादर आनन्द , फ़ादर विनोद , फ़ादर अनिलदेव , अखिलेश भाई , दिलराज और नीति भाई जैसे नाम रखे जाते हैं ।

 स्त्री - पुरुषों के नाम में सिख अभेद करते हैं । हांलाकि 'सिंह' या 'कौर' द्वारा भेद प्रकट हो जाता है।

    भारत में नाम का उत्तरार्ध आम तौर पर जातिसूचक होता है । बिहार आन्दोलन के दौरान कई स्थानों पर कुन्तलों में खुद-से तोड़ी हुई  जनेऊ का ढेर लग जाता था । इसके अलावा नाम का उत्तरार्ध हटाने का चलन भी व्यापक हो गया था । कुछ ने बागी ,संग्रामी ,आज़ाद ,इंकलाब,राही , क्रान्ति जैसे पद अपने नामों से जोड़ लिए । महाराष्ट्र में इसी ढंग की चेतना से नाम के साथ माँ और बाप का नाम जोड़ने का रिवाज चला ।

    विवाह के बाद पति का जाति नाम धारण करने की प्रचलित परम्परा को तोड़ने के प्रयोग भी हुए हैं । पति का जाति-सूचक नाम न जोड़ने , विवाह-पूर्व का जाति-नाम बरकरार रखने और दोनों जोड़ कर रखने के उदाहरण मिल जाएँगे । 

    स्कूल की बाहर रहने वाले बच्चों को पढ़ाते वक्त मैंने पाया कि कई बच्चे अपनी दादी ,नानी , बूआ , चाची ,मामी ,मौसी , और माँ तक का नाम नहीं जानते । औरत की सामाजिक-पारिवारिक हैसियत का द्योतक है , यह ।