Dear Prudence . . .
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
So said Juliet in Shakespeare’s tragic romance. And Anne of Green Gables followed up with:
‘I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose would be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.’
So there we are. I am named Prudence, but even if I was called Anne with an E or Cordelia or even Lolly or Ruby or Sunday, it would appear I should still carry all the hallmarks of a prudent person.
There is of course, one problem and one my parents didn’t foresee when they named me. I am not a prudent person. At all. Given to illogical and odd behaviour, jumping off the deep end when I should really check the depth first.
According to the most basic description of the word as provided by Wikipedia, Prudence is when ‘one exercises sound judgement in practical affairs. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of the four Cardinal virtues (which are part of the seven virtues).’
In addition, there are several integral parts that make up Prudence (Of course. That’d be right. Why couldn’t there just be one or two? It would have to be a confounded jigsaw)
1. Memoria — Accurate memory, that is, memory that is true to reality. Gad, I’m a fantasy fiction writer. What’s true to reality about that?
2. Intelligentia– I suppose there is a moderate degree in the grey matter somewhere.
3. Docilitas— Docile? Never!
4. Quick wittedness — sizing up a situation on one’s own quickly. Hmm!
5. Discursive reasoning– Yeah right!
6. Foresight (Providentia) — None! But a great deal of hindsight! Does that count?
Bit of a disaster really. Although there are a couple of things that my name can hang its hat on. The Beatles wrote Dear Prudence and Doug Parkinson sings it wonderfully. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IBKOvyIll8
And whilst trawling through Wikimedia Commons trying to find just one nice image of Prudence and not some bloated allegory of a woman in robes surrounded by little cupids, I discovered Deborah Kerr in Prudence and the Pill. That’s so much better. Mind you, as a university student in the 70’s, I suffered no end of teasing about that movie and the boys all used to sit on the steps of the Law building and break into the Beatles song as I walked past, singing just the first line: ‘Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play?’ to which my cheeks would flush scarlet.
I often wonder – if I’d had my druthers at birth, what would I have liked to be called? Only three names spring to mind: Clare, Anna and Isabel. All of which sound wonderfully happy and light and as if they could be people with whom I should love to be friends. Prudence however, sounds dour, heavy and infinitely boring.
Ah well you see, I think that Prudence is interesting and different, while I’ve always thought of Clare as a dull name…
A two-eedged sword, SJAT. A nice compiiment to my name but as my daughter is Clare, I have to say she is anything but dull. But love you anyway!!!!!
Oh no, I like the name Prue(dence) – it doesn’t sound dour, heavy or boring… I think of it as elegant, pretty and an excellent way of surprising people who expect to find a prudent person on the other end!
Clare on the other hand – alas, I have always disliked my name! It’s boring to infinity, perhaps partly due to having just one syllable, and you can’t shorten it or make it into any sort of a good pet name. The most annoying thing, though, is that it sounds like a lot of other things when you only hear it ‘out of the corner of your ear’, as it were: “yeah” springs to mind.
So, Prue, be pleased that you have an interesting name! No one writes songs about Clares! And I can’t think of any decent characters called Clare, either…
Clare! Gilbert O’Sullivan wrote a song called ‘Clare’, or perhaps ‘Claire’, not sure which. And its the sweetest song. I used to sing it to Clare when she was a toddler. We have both spellings in my family: as you know Clare is my daughter and Claire is my mum and they are the complete antithesis of boring.
Why yesterday, Mum decided to pull her bed apart to check that the bed base was still sturdy (she’s 84, mind you). Pulled the spring mattress off and all the bedding and then turned to go to the other side of the bed and tripped over the electric blanket cord, hit the wall, flayed a 6 inch by 2 inch strip of skin back off the flesh.(I mean flayed in the medieval sense too . . . it looked like a torture), hit her ribs, hurt her leg and then to calm down after the inevitable shock, had a small glass of gin and dry ginger ale at lunchtime, and a cigarette! Anything but dull!
when I was younger I didn’t like “Barbara”… I wanted a “princely” name such as Isabella or Elisabetta (queen of Spain and queen of England… maybe “queenly” names?).
Now I like to say I’m “Barbara” by name and facts, as the Italian world for barbarian/foreign woman is the same Latin word used as personal name all over the world! 😉
So much more exciting than the ‘virtuous’ Prudence.
I appreciate this post and empathize with you wholeheartedly. I am the least prudish person I know and at this point in my life I enjoy the irony. Thanks for the smile this morning ?
Another Prue!!!!
How exciting!
I’m glad you were able to get some joy from the post, Pru. It was written a long while ago and I confess I too enjoyed reading it again. 😉