h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Gerrymandering

(Not totally sure about the spelling)

Apparently this was to do with someone called Gerry Mander who manipulated state/county boundaries to ensure election success (in the States I think).

Rama

With respect to all - the original question is about concepts which have sprung from works of fiction.

In the guide entry I am narrowing it to 19th and 20th century fiction. I am definitely excluding historical figures, (Gerry Mander, Quizling, Canute, etc); classical mytholody (Oddessy, Oedipal, etc) and Shakespeare.

There is defintiely scope for guide entries on all of these, it is just that I am interested in the ones from fiction.

Keep the comments rolling though.

a nit-picker called Ben

What about Tolkienesque, describing a work a fantasy that is epic in its scope?

Rama

Isn´t La Dolce Vita a rather new movie? Surely the name paparazzi is older than that.

Rama, you've left all the fun stuff out of gerrymandering!

In 1812 Governor Eldridge Gerry of Massachussets took it upon himself to tweak a few boundaries so as to favour his fellow Democrats. Apparently a journalist and his editor were looking at a map of the tortuous area in question and the journalist said it looked like a salamander. The editor retorted with gerrymander, and thus a word was coined.

The name itself is old, but the meaning, and indeed the profession, are new. I think they used to be called street photographers before the film came out.