Uncle Last Name?

[bender772]

I have seen three, yes three, movie versions of A Christmas Carol in the past week. The one thing I don't understand is why Fred calls his uncle, "Uncle Scrooge". Why would he not be Uncle Ebenezer? I would never refer to my uncles by their last name. Nor, have I ever heard or read of anyone doing it aside from this story.

Comments

[marklevoyageur]

Good question, but Dickens wrote it that way so perhaps it was common language during the 19th century.

[lankyguy]

I think there is something to this explanation. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett only refers to her Aunt and Uncle by their relation to her and their last name, ie., Aunt Gardner, never by first name. The character herself is only referred to Elizabeth or Lizzy, by members of her immediate family and very close friends, to everyone else she is Miss Bennett. It must be a convention of the times.

[thespisgeoff]

No one is on first-name basis with Scrooge; calling him "Uncle Scrooge" points this out.

[bender772]

Doh! That makes perfect sense.