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Clever Titles

hobbit 21 Feb 09 at 1:32 p.m. GMT

I recently re-read major pallgrave's thread discussing 'Why Didn't They Ask Evans?' and was reminded of the point that had arisen about the importance of good, capturing titles which say something about the work. I was wondering what other people's views were on this.

'Why Didn't They Ask Evans?' has to be one fo my favourite titles (though I found the book itself rather unexciting) because it, for me, completely captures the sense of mystery of the novel and the context in which it is said, for those who have read the book, is extremely grim and intriguing.

I also like 'The Moving Finger' (a quote from a poem I believe) as I found the multiple ways it applies to the book (different villagers pointing the finger of accusation at each other, the single finger used to type the letters, the symbolic 'moving finger' of the poison-pen writer etc.) rather clever.

What are your favourite titles? (please try and give reasons, if possible!)

Hobbit

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43 replies

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brendamonks 01 Nov 11 at 12:32 p.m. GMT

I

brendamonks 26 Oct 11 at 3:57 p.m. GMT

Only just become a member of this web site so am scrolling through the various categories and adding my thoughts/comments. I've always been an avid Christie reading/viewer. The cleverest title (which is also my favourite book) has to be "And Then There Were None" of course.

NightRayDuck 22 May 11 at 5:56 a.m. GMT

I've been wondering if the "Ordeal by Innocence" idea evolved from "Trial by Ordeal" procedure back in the Middle Ages.. 

Tommy_A_Jones 20 May 11 at 3:38 p.m. GMT

I love the Title Ordeal By Innocense one of the proposed was Cat Among The Pigeons which would have worked Just as well.

Tommy_A_Jones 21 Jul 09 at 11 a.m. GMT

I personally liked 'The Clocks' and haven't read 'Murder On The Links' or 'Three Act Tragedy' yet but I agree with you about the others Frnorfoe but like you I might read them again especially 'The Mystery of The Blue Train', 'Halloween Party' and 'Elephants Can Remember', three books I can't really remember but knew I didn't like them much, I am on the Last Chapter of a Book I will never read again and I ended last year on a book I will never ever read again (Although I was out of my comfort zone as it was a Science fiction book I was reading as IO read very few people finish it so mI wanted to see if I could) and my Sister gave me a Murder |Mystery I will never read again, I am thinking of never reading other books written by Authors whose books I have put on the list but I like Betty Rowlands Books and one of them I really couldn't get on with.

Frndorfoe 18 Jul 09 at 4:34 p.m. GMT

There are books by other authors which are on my "never re-read again" list but not many Agatha Christie books are on it. I've read all of Miss Marple's novels and short stories and none are on my list either. As for Poirot I think The Murder on the Links, The Mystery of the Blue Train, Three Act Tragedy, The Clocks, Hallowe'en Party and Elephants Can Remember come pretty close to being on the list. But then again someday I might read them again to remind myself why I disliked them so much in the first place!

Tommy_A_Jones 18 Jul 09 at 1:25 p.m. GMT

That's the same for me, There are some books I really hated and wont read again, but at the Moment no Miss Marple's are on the List just about 4 Poirot's Definitely; 'Lord Edgware Dies, 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyed', 'The Big Four', Third Girl and maybe 'The Blue Train Mystery' all though I can't remember too much about it as I reads it such a long time ago. Some Non-series Books are also on the List; Endless Night, Passenger To Frankfurt and Death Comes On The End. I haven't read all the Books in any Catagory yet so only time will tell 

Frndorfoe 18 Jul 09 at 12:47 p.m. GMT

I could read Nemesis again. too. in the future. I have a habit of re-reading books. Books I've loved, books I've liked, it doesn’t matter. I don't really like Nemesis and yet I've read it at least two-three times. The "never re-read again" sign is only reserved for books which I've really hated.

Tommy_A_Jones 18 Jul 09 at 11:13 a.m. GMT

I agree with you Frndorfoe, but for me it isn't rmances it is Books where the Main Character is going on a Journey like Mark Wallington's The Missing Postman or if not a book with a journey a P.G. Wodehouse Book, I too have to care about the Characters to care wether they succeed in doing what they achieve, I did love the book and is one I will read again.

Frndorfoe 17 Jul 09 at 2:27 p.m. GMT

When I read a book I like to feel connected to the characters. I like becoming a part of the flow of the story. If I do not, I cannot enjoy the narration or the conclusion of the story. It does not matter if it is a murder mystery where injustices must be put right or if it is a romance where two lovers must unite (Hey that even rhymes!). Nemesis is one such a story for me. That's why I like it but do not love it.

Tommy_A_Jones 17 Jul 09 at 1:44 p.m. GMT

You can dislike a person and still want injustices to be put right or else many Lawyers wouldn't be employed but I agree if you don't like some of the Characters of a book you can't like the book which is why I don't like Sparkling Cyanide, Endless Night and Death Comes At The End.  

Frndorfoe 16 Jul 09 at 1:01 p.m. GMT

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If one does not feel connected with Michael and Verity, how can one root for Miss Marple to find out who really is the murderer and acquit the innocent? One has to feel sympathetic towards certain characters in order to enjoy stories like these where the guilty are punished and the innocent are set free. Also, I prefer a crisp and clear narrative to a rambling one. Even if the ramblings are a part of the characters.

Tommy_A_Jones 16 Jul 09 at 11:01 a.m. GMT

I suppose Michael and Verity are a side story, a story about a girl who rebels against an stifleing and Claustrophobic atmosphere who sees a man no relative would want as a relation who falls for a girl who thinks she can use him to escape and perhaps change him in the process. What loopholes the type of people the Characters were they would ramble so I didn't see anything wrong with them rambling, the characters were like the ones in 'Postern of Fate' which was also one of the very later books What did you mean by loopholes go_leafs?

go_leafs_nation 15 Jul 09 at 5:18 p.m. GMT

Nemesis was... interesting. Omit the loopholes and its (at times) rambling nature, and it's one of the more interesting Christies.

Frndorfoe 15 Jul 09 at 5:16 p.m. GMT

Don't get me wrong. I love and adore Miss Marple and she is my favorite detective. Nemesis is just one of those stories Agatha Christie wrote during her final years. It tends to be a bit rambling. Also, the characters are not properly fleshed out. I just could not connect with Michael and Verity like one ought to with lovers. I felt dissatisfied and it left me feeling a bit cold. But that doesn't mean I hate it. It is just one of my less favorite Miss Marple stories.

go_leafs_nation 15 Jul 09 at 5:03 p.m. GMT

winne, "Cat Among the Pigeons" implies that one of the people among the pupils and schoolteachers is dangerous.

Tommy_A_Jones 15 Jul 09 at 2:12 p.m. GMT

What didn't you like about it Frndorfoe? I loved the book

Frndorfoe 15 Jul 09 at 11:19 a.m. GMT

I know what Nemesis means and I know that the title fits the story. It is very obvious. What I meant to say was that even though I liked the title I did not like the book. I was intrigued by the title but the story let me down.

Tommy_A_Jones 15 Jul 09 at 11:09 a.m. GMT

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I got that bit but don't understand the explanation go_leafs unless it just means put one bad person in with alot of law-abiding people.

I dissagree with you about 'Nemesis Frndorfoe, Nemesis is the Goddess of Retribution and Jason Raphiel wanted Miss Marple to find the Murderer to avenge the Injustice that wast cast upon his son.

Frndorfoe 15 Jul 09 at 10:45 a.m. GMT

There are several titles that I found intriguing. But the stories turned out to be nothing extraordinary. Elephants Can Remember being one of them. Nemesis is another one of them. There are some books which did live up to their names for me. Sleeping Murder, A Murder is Announced, A Pocket Full of Rye, Cards on the Table, Evil under the Sun, Cat among the Pigeons .etc. are some of them.

go_leafs_nation 14 Jul 09 at 3:10 p.m. GMT

Do you mean the title of "Cat Among the Pigeons"? It's simple, really. The book even explains it. The students and teachers are like the "pigeons", but one of them is a "cat". Put a cat among some pigeons and see how many will stay alive.

Tommy_A_Jones 14 Jul 09 at 2:20 p.m. GMT

I couldn't understand the explanation to it being the title Kelly but I loved both Book and the adaptation so I didn't let me spoil my enjoyment.

kellly 14 Jul 09 at 1:50 p.m. GMT

My favourite title is Cat among the pigeons.I read it because I wanted to know what was the relation between the title and the story.

In my country(Brazil), the titles are very similar to the originals,but eventually they changed the tilte of "And then there were none".The reason I really don't know.

In England,is "And then there were none" the title?Or the  name has changed like in Brazil?

Tommy_A_Jones 14 Jul 09 at 12:02 p.m. GMT

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I think 'The Clocks' is a great Title and a great example of the use of a Macguffin as the clocks in the title were a wonderfully misleading part of the story

go_leafs_nation 13 Jul 09 at 3:14 p.m. GMT

Personally, I am fond of titles that quote or make references to other work. "The Moving Finger", a reference to the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, is one of my favourites, not only because of the reference, but because of its relevance to the story, as the poison-pen letter writer shifts the finger of accusation from one person to another.

Another one of my favourites is "By the Pricking of My Thumbs". Macbeth happens to be my second-favourite Shakespeare play (right after Othello), and seeing that quote from Act IV immediately gave me an idea of the kind of atmosphere to expect from the book. I was not disappointed.

One more title I love is "Hallowe'en Party". It just sounds so childish-- what on Earth would Poirot have in common with something like this? And yet, as children have fun and play games, someone meets their death. It's intriguing.

Titles that have incomplete information often intrigue me. "The Clocks" is a good example, and so is "The Pale Horse". "What clocks? What about them? Why are they important? Why is the horse pale, and why is it important?" Those questions came into mind when seeing the titles by themselves.

Some titles, however, I'm not too fond of. Most of these are American retitlings of the British version ("The Patriotic Murders" is a particularly bad one, I find). However, of the ones AC came up with herself, "Death Comes as the End" must be one of my least favourites. "Of course it does!" I muttered to myself when reading the title, which may be the reason I put off reading it.

Tommy_A_Jones 11 Jul 09 at 11:20 a.m. GMT

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I know it is a bit late to ask but what are thematic Titles? I think I know but just want to see if I am right are they Titles that explain what the book is about like Body In The Library being about a body found in a persoin's library? If I am right I also want to know what 'They Do it With Mirroers refers to although I think it refers to slight of hand and fooling people that what they see or in this case hear isn't quite what they think. And The Titles 'The Mirror Crack'd and The Moving Finger are departures from the other Miss Marple Titles as Neither title explain what the books are about.

na_well 10 Jul 09 at 8:39 p.m. GMT

I like the titles which come from a nursery rhyme or literary quote. For example Five Little Pigs, Endless Night or The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side. Well they are a lot but I like the ones that are taken from a nursery rhyme or literary quote as I already said.

hellofansofachi 29 Mar 09 at 6:49 a.m. GMT

My fave titles are Five Little Pigs and And Then Then There Were None.

lava 29 Mar 09 at 4:06 a.m. GMT

my fav title is sad cypress.

sapphire_arisa 28 Mar 09 at 5:54 a.m. GMT

My favourite titles are 'Five Little Pigs', "Sad Cypress', and 'why didnt they ask evans?'. Agatha uses nursery rhymes really well in her novels, and I love it.

Tommy_A_Jones 27 Mar 09 at 3:49 p.m. GMT

Thankyou for reminding me squatty, I had forgotten all abiout that, I loved the book but loved the way in the Ustinov Adaptation Hastings appears with Ariadne Oliver after all she meets Battle and Race in the books so she mightn't as well have met him.

lava 27 Mar 09 at 4:19 a.m. GMT

my fav titles are sad cypress, pocket full of rye and the moving finger

squatty 26 Mar 09 at 6:39 p.m. GMT

Winnebago, I do see the relevance of the title.

The folly was built by a man who had been presumed dead. I actually think the title is one of the biggest clues of this book

Tommy_A_Jones 26 Mar 09 at 3:27 p.m. GMT

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Does anyone agree with me that the Title 'Dead Man's Folly' is a silly Title as the Victim's are women and the Title suggests that a Man dies, I also think that 'Appointment With Death' which I am reading is a great title as it gives an idea what it is a bout like 'Ordeal by Innocence and 'Mrs McGinty's Dead' 

Miss_Terrie 05 Mar 09 at 5:02 p.m. GMT

Anyone else thnik that 'Ordeal by Innocence' is a really grate title as well?

dale_cooper 02 Mar 09 at 4:27 p.m. GMT

Interesting question. I hadn't thought, by I suppose the Marple novels do all have quite thematic titles. I'd be interested to know what 'They Do it With Mirrors' refers to (I haven't read the book myself).

To add some different ideas to the mix...

Murder Is Easy - sort of has moral resonance, I think. A perfect title for the book that follows.

Sparkling Cyanide - it's alliterative and sounds vey nice. Very creepy title for what I thought was quite a creepy book.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs - love Macbeth so it's an obvious choice for me. Hobbit, you mentioned on a previous thread (discussing the novel) that you didn't see the relevance of the title to the book. I sort of agree with you. There is, like you said, a connection between the demise of the murderer and that of Lady Macbeth, but it's only a slight similarity.

All great titles from Agatha though.  

Tommy_A_Jones 01 Mar 09 at 1:10 p.m. GMT

Squatty I agree with you, It is a long time since I have read 'One Two Buckle My Show' but I thought the way AC put the rhyme in the book was contrived, It is the blurb on the back that incourages me to buy a book, It might be the Title that makes me take it of the shelf but if I don't like the blurb on the back I but the book back on the shelf.

squatty 01 Mar 09 at 11:20 a.m. GMT

I think a title has to be arresting enough to make us take it from the bookshelf and buy it. However, once I've started reading the book, I tend to forget the title.

I do get a bit irritated by those nursery rhyme titles and the contrived way that AC sometimes tries to force them into the plot. I love Five Little Pigs but trying to link the five suspects with the five pigs from the rhyme is embarrassingly done

hobbit 28 Feb 09 at 12:28 p.m. GMT

In case anyone is interested the quote from the poem (the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam) goes as follows:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,

Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.

It's interesting that a lot of the Miss Marple titles have a literary or double meaning. 'The Mirror Crack'd' is an obvious Tennison reference, and has an interesting significance in the novel. Similarly 'A Pocketful of Rye' has the creepy nursery-rhyme theme and 'Sleeping Murder' refers to the Old English proverb 'let sleeping murder lie' - an interesting moral question in the book (would it have been better to let the past stay hidden).

I always think the best books AC wrote are the ones which have several interlocking themes/questions which tie up at the end into a powerful knot - as opposed to the 'straight' detective novels.

Hobbit

hobbit 28 Feb 09 at 12:26 p.m. GMT

That's another good point, mirror, I hadn't thought of that.

susandiane 23 Feb 09 at 12:17 p.m. GMT

I like the title "why didn't they ask evans?" because it's a line in an earlier book. it's just so evocative. "the man in the brown suit" sounds like a throwback and that's neat. "the moving finger", "there is a tide" and "nemesis" are good and creepy (i didn't like "tide" though). "curtain" is another good one, you just KNOW what's coming but you don't know HOW you're going to get there.

mirror 23 Feb 09 at 12:07 a.m. GMT

"The Moving Finger" is also one of my favorite titles because it makes readers feel that somethimg is going to happen in the book and therefore inspires them to read it , which is very clever way to capture readers' interest . Similarly , "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" is a good one. Regarding hobbit's second point , in my opinion, the title, "The Moving Finger" has another suggestion in addition to what hobbit points out.It is also associated with Miss Marple moving her finger to knit something as her secret side job while observing people to investigate a murder.

Tommy_A_Jones 21 Feb 09 at 3:22 p.m. GMT

I also like the Title 'Why Didn't They Ask Evans' as it asks a question, I also like 'The Secret of Chimneys', and 'The Secret Advocate' as all these Titles have a Definite artical, as these suggest something exciting is going to happen conserning the Definite artical, I also like Titles with Numbers and letters 'Five Little Pigs, The ABC Mystery and I like Titles with Numbers and Letters like Five Little Pigs and ABC Murders because I like Numbers and Letters, I also like Titles with Place names just because I wonder if anyone reads the books in those places, I saw a Michael Palin programme and he was going up the Nile and he was holding a Copy of 'Death On The Nile' which made me chortle.