“Čto v imeni tebe moem?”: Names as a Window into Puškin's Evgenij Onegin 1

This paper examines the characters' names in Pushkin's Evgenij Onegin for their implicit meaning and the special clarification they impart to the novel in verse. The characters' names represent a determining factor through their signification as well as through the poet's juxtaposition and opposition of certain pairs. Some names, and hence characters, serve as shadow images of the principal name in definition and in their roles within the work. Attendant points of interest receive treatment, such as the role of names that aid in pinpointing the most likely geographical location of the estates of the Larins, Lenskij, and Onegin's uncle.