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From: boyajian@akov68.DEC
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Book (and movie) titles
Message-ID: <2399@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 31-May-85 08:54:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.2399
Posted: Fri May 31 08:54:08 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Jun-85 00:29:09 EDT
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Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 45

> From:	mtgzz!leeper	(Mark Leeper)

> This is one of my pet peeves with some science fiction writers.  Back
> in the days of the Saturday afternoon serials they would give them
> flambouyant names line KING OF THE ROCKET MEN.  This would conjure up
> in kiddees' minds some society of rocket scientists somewhere and some
> super-scientist ruling over it.  Actually it was about one man with a
> rocket suit named Jeff King.  So the "rocket men" are all one man named
> King.  This title promises one sort of story and the film delivers
> something fairly different with the implicit statement "Oh, sorry if
> you misunderstood our title."

Funny you should use this example. I remember being similarly
surprised when I first saw the movie KING OF THE KHYBER RIFLES,
and found out that it was about a member of the Khyber Rifles
named Athelstan King. When I shortly thereafter came across the
book, I noticed that the title was originally KING--OF THE KHYBER
RIFLES, and also appeared as KING, OF THE KHYBER RIFLES. Subtle
differences, true, but the meaning is a little clearer with the
punctuation.

However, I can't see that an author should be held responsible
for inferences you draw from the title. I recall an incident
from when I worked in a library. An elderly gentleman came in to
return Vonnegut's BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS, and asked, "Just from
the title, what would you think this book is about?" I replied
that I couldn't answer that fairly, since I already knew what it
was about (even though I hadn't read it). "Wouldn't you think it
was about sports?" he then asked. Seeing the association he was
making, I replied, "I suppose I might." "Well, it's nothing but
a filthy, disgusting piece of trash!" What could I say?

The only problem I have with titles is when the title has no
bearing whatsoever on the story. Take, for example, the latest
Bond movie. What does "A View to a Kill" have to do with the
film at all?


--- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA)

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