A few years back, I had a lot of fun participating in the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict and was surprised to discover that it was still going on! Blimey, it kinda feels like stepping into a time-warp. Anyways, this is a great way to discover other book blogs and meet other bloggers. There is a prompt question provided each week that we are asked to answer. This one comes from Elizabeth: Do you think a book's title is important?
My answer:
Absolutely, positively, no doubt about it -- an unequivocal YES. The function of a good title should serve two main purposes: to pique the readers interest and reflect the context of the story in some way. In certain cases, the title might appear superfluous for the sake of vanity, but it seems to me, that all those classics and all your favorite books almost always have the best titles. They capture the imagination immediately even without having any prior knowledge of what the story might be about. Of course, there are exceptions. Some of my favorite novels have pretty basic titles that don't really offer much in terms of deeper meaning: Saul Bellow's Herzog comes to mind -- it's just the last name of the protagonist.
Once you start reading, the inevitable question arises: Why did the author choose this particular title in the first place? If it just so happens that you are reading a well-written novel, the title then becomes of great value because it can take on a host of different meanings; perhaps serving as a metaphor, representing important symbolism/imagery, emphasizing the main theme(s) or ideas that will later become crucial to understanding the novel's subtext.
Some of my favorite book titles: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.
I could go on.
My answer:
Absolutely, positively, no doubt about it -- an unequivocal YES. The function of a good title should serve two main purposes: to pique the readers interest and reflect the context of the story in some way. In certain cases, the title might appear superfluous for the sake of vanity, but it seems to me, that all those classics and all your favorite books almost always have the best titles. They capture the imagination immediately even without having any prior knowledge of what the story might be about. Of course, there are exceptions. Some of my favorite novels have pretty basic titles that don't really offer much in terms of deeper meaning: Saul Bellow's Herzog comes to mind -- it's just the last name of the protagonist.
Once you start reading, the inevitable question arises: Why did the author choose this particular title in the first place? If it just so happens that you are reading a well-written novel, the title then becomes of great value because it can take on a host of different meanings; perhaps serving as a metaphor, representing important symbolism/imagery, emphasizing the main theme(s) or ideas that will later become crucial to understanding the novel's subtext.
Some of my favorite book titles: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.
I could go on.
Welcome back to The Book Blogger Hop. So wonderful to see new faces and to get new opinions.
ReplyDeleteGREAT answer. After reading your comments, I definitely will be asking those questions as I read. THANKS.
I love the titles you chose....those are excellent eye catchers and prove that a title does have "power." :)
Covers pull me in too...well...they are what draw me to a book and then the title has to be good too along with the storyline of course. :)
I hope you are having a good weekend, and I hope I see you next week on the hop.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Happy Hopping!!
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Blog Hop Answer
Thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth!
DeleteYeah, I am a sucker for well designed cover-art, not going to lie. I try not to judge a book by its cover but it's difficult not to sometimes...
There are so many titles that I love and I absolutely agree that titles matter. I find myself dawn to a book simply because of the title. It doesn't always means I read the book but a good title, an intriguing title, will at least make me slow down and check out a book before I decide one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteWell said, I concur. It's often the first point of reference whenever a book is recommended. Also, whenever I find myself browsing a used a book store, I tend to only take a book off the shelf if the title on the spine intrigues me.
DeleteTotally agree about title. A good title can be short and doesn't have to tell you exactly what the book's about, but it needs to draw you in. Great answer!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Book Hop Answers.