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Over-naming, or When Voltaire Doubles a Proper Name

Abstract The use in parallel of several alternatives for a proper name to designate a single figure or place is a feature of Voltaire’s writing which has not yet received sustained attention. This paper describes how a corpus of texts containing this device was identified, and goes on to examine the origins and functions of this practice in Voltaire’s works. A stylistic element commonly found in dictionaries and learned historical works, the double (or multiple) name appears in Voltaire’s historical writings and in his contributions to reference works, later evolving (especially in the 1760s and 1770s) into a polemical tool to parody erudition. It is further argued that he often employs this rhetorical figure to undermine the authority of the figures upon whom he bestows multiple names.