Ian Butcher

The Title Not Taken…

Introduction

The title not taken…. Uncover the journey of literary titles, from working drafts to final forms, and how this evolution reveals author intent, shapes reader perception, and impacts a text's reception.

Abstract

The evolution of a literary title, from its working inception to its final form, often offers profound insights into an author’s creative journey and intent. A function of a title is to guide the interpretation of a text. The direction of the work may have changed by the time a final title is decided upon and working titles have been discarded. T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land originally began life as He Do the Police in Different Voices, thus indicating that it is indeed a poem of several, often competing, voices. Exploring the “back story” frequently sheds light on the finished work. It is sometimes the publisher who overrules the author and decides on a move away from a working title to make the work more saleable and attractive. Some authors opt for secondary or sub-titles to make their intentions clearer. Titologists agree on the critical importance of a title to label, seduce, and provide information on the content of the work. Critically a working title changed to a final title can affect the way in which the reader will approach the work and how differently the work is received. Most titological analysis focuses on the final, given title, usually well-known to readers. The objective of this paper is to emphasise the significance of the focus-shift from provisional working titles to final titles, and explore the altered perceptions that this might trigger.

Review

The paper, intriguingly titled "The Title Not Taken…", proposes an insightful exploration into the often-overlooked genesis of literary titles, distinguishing between provisional working titles and their final published forms. The abstract effectively articulates the critical role titles play in guiding interpretation, influencing reader reception, and reflecting an author's evolving creative intent. By highlighting the current scholarly emphasis on final titles, the paper clearly establishes a novel and pertinent research gap, aiming to shift focus towards the significance of these discarded titles and the altered perceptions they might have triggered. This premise suggests a potentially rich vein of analysis for literary scholars, bibliographers, and those interested in the publishing process. A significant strength of this proposed work lies in its potential to offer profound insights into the creative journey of authors, moving beyond the finished product to uncover the deliberative processes and external influences that shape a text. The inclusion of T.S. Eliot's *The Waste Land* as a compelling example immediately illustrates the depth of analysis possible, where an original title like *He Do the Police in Different Voices* provides a distinct interpretative lens. Furthermore, acknowledging the role of publishers in title decisions adds a valuable dimension, connecting literary studies with publishing history and the commercial realities of book production. The concept of "titologists" agreeing on the critical importance of titles underscores the scholarly foundation from which this focused inquiry emerges. While the abstract clearly outlines the paper's objective and its relevance, future iterations would benefit from a more explicit mention of the methodology intended to explore these "altered perceptions." Will the paper rely on textual analysis of authorial correspondence, publisher archives, reader-response theories, or a combination? Additionally, exploring a broader range of case studies beyond a single exemplary work could strengthen the generalizability of the findings and further illustrate the diverse impacts of title changes across genres and historical periods. A discussion of how one quantifies or qualitatively assesses these "altered perceptions" would also be a welcome addition, ensuring the paper delivers on its promising objective of illuminating the profound significance of titles that were, ultimately, "not taken."

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