The History of Love/ What's in a name?

I just finished reading a delightful little book titled The History of Love by Brooklynite Nicole Krauss. The book was a gift to me for my 24th birthday from my dear friend who name is homonymous with my sister's.

Its been a while since a book has brought out curiosity and even the swelling of my tear glands in myself. Its the story of several people whose lives become intertwined through a book written by a man who fell in love with a girl named Alma when he was 10. His love for her was transcribed into three languages and even the impetus for a mother and father to name their only daughter after her.

Alma. A beautiful name. Amelie. Perhaps Alma and Amelie share a root sound, the way Laurent and Lawrence are also synonymous. The way that Ashlee and Ashling are the same.

After finishing The History of Love my curiousity is piqued to dwell on the origins of my own name. I too am named after a character in a book. My namesake is Ashley from Gone with the Wind which I read the summer of my 16th year in an attempt to familiarize myself with the great southern novel.

Ashley was a man loved by two women who stayed true to his wife despite the desires of the brazen, bold and beautiful Scarlett. What was it about Ashley's character that impelled my father to name his second daughter after him? His first, Stephanie was an obvious homage to his line. But why Ashley?

I must include this note about the spelling of my name. A-S-H-L-E-E was given to me by my dear friend Anita who had the prescience to know that I would need something unique for myself.