Such as “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus”.
Or “Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among The Lowly”.
Or “Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded”.
Lots of 18th and 19th Century novels seem to have these pointless second titles. Why? Surely the authors weren’t still undecided as to what to call their books by the time they were published? Was this just a silly fashion or was there any real reason for burdening a book with an alternate title that the author must surely have realised no-one would ever use?
Does anyone still give books second titles like this?
Slaughterhouse-5; or, The Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., a Fourth-Generation German-American Now Living in Easy Circumstances on Cape Cod (and Smoking Too Much) Who, as an American Infantry Scout Hors de Combat, as a Prisoner of War, Witnessed the Fire-Bombing of Dreseden, Germany, the Florence of the Elbe, a Long Time Ago, and Survived to Tell the Tale: This Is a Novel Somewhat in the Telegraphic Schizophrenic Manner of Tales of the Planet Tralfamadore, Where the Flying Saucers Come From
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; or, Pearls before Swine
Breakfast of Champions; or, Goodbye Blue Monday
Slapstick; or, Lonesome No More
I don’t know the reason for this, but I know that having a “subtitle” was not limited to novels of the Romantic era. While numerous examples are teasing my synapses, the only ones that don’t run away when I beckon them are the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan – most of which had subtitles.
Kind of different, but I still can’t believe Fitzgerald fought with Maxwell Perkins, his editor, who preferred The Great Gatsby to Fitz’s choice Trimalchio of West Egg…
Not an alternate title, but Gulliver’s Travels was really entitled Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World in Four Parts by Lemuel Gulliver. Swift’s name didn’t appear on it at first, although his qauthorship became known soon enough.
My guess is that it was expected in the publishing world of the time that the primary title could be anything the author desired, as long as the second title gave some hint of what the reader could expect as far as a story.
The title “Frankenstein,” being a name made up for the book, would tell a prospective reader absolutely nothing. At least “A Modern Prometheus” gives a slight hint of the theme of the book, though not its actual content.
The Fortunes & Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Who was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of continu’d Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother), Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv’d Honest, and dies a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums
You’d think with a title like that, there’d be no need for a summary. You’d be wrong.
My favorite alternative title is The Damnation of Theron Ware; or Illumination by Harold Frederic. Guess which title he actually wanted? Hint: it’s not the one that made me pick up the book.
