Use of surnames in personal address

[Eileen Forster Keck]

No: HPFGUIDX 115854


Carol:

> McGonagall, at least in this first chapter, calls Dumbledore "Dumbledore." But are there any other examples, and isn't this usage rather unusual? It reminds me of nineteenth-century women Englishwomen, both real and fictional, who called their husbands by their last names. Mary Shelley addressing Percy Shelley as "Shelley" comes to mind.

Eileen:
Speaking on my own experience (and I'm neither 19th c. nor a Brit.  :-)  ), that practice is still in use.  In fact, I frequently addressed my ex-husband by his last name, and do the same with a number of my other male friends.

Also, in McG's case, surely "Dumbledore" is more appropriate than "Albus" between colleagues, whatever an off-campus relationship might be--though I do think they are merely very comfortably friendly acquaintances.

Carol:
> Carol, who, not being British, needs to look up "sherbet lemon" (which
I don't think means "lemon drop") before returning to the list.

Eileen:
No...lemon drops are "acid drops" in England. :-D

Eileen

(first post, hope I've complied with the List Elves'
Roberts Rules of Order here!)