# Aternative titles of classic novels **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 15, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882 "2006-08-15T22:29:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/1 "2006-08-15T22:29:50Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/2 "2006-08-15T22:36:53Z")
Vonnegut did it a few times. 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 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/3 "2006-08-15T23:45:48Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > Vonnegut did it a few times. > > 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 “Kurt, we want to publish your book, but we really need a title that can fit on the book spine.” ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/4 "2006-08-16T01:34:27Z")
The Scarlet Letter or How Hester Won Her A 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/5 "2006-08-16T02:35:52Z")
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. - _The Pirates of Penzance: or, the Slave of Duty_ - _H.M.S. Pinafore: or, the Lass That Loved a Sailor_ - _The Mikado: or, the Town of Titipu_ - _The Gondoliers: or, the King of Barataria_ - _Ruddigore: or, the Witch’s Curse_ - _Iolanthe: or, the Peer and the Peri_ etc. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/6 "2006-08-16T02:46:41Z")
Joseph Conrad’s _The Secret Agent_, or _The Spy Thriller You Can’t_ Not _Put Down_ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/7 "2006-08-16T03:58:35Z")
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_… ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/8 "2006-08-16T04:07:26Z")
Little known fact–the original title of _War and Peace_ was _War–What is it Good For?_ ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/9 "2006-08-16T04:14:05Z")
_Twelfth Night, or What You Will_? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/10 "2006-08-16T04:24:24Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/11 "2006-08-16T04:50:58Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/12 "2006-08-16T12:41:43Z")
“Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/13 "2006-08-16T13:01:25Z")
“Moby Dick, or The Whale” ---
**Author:** ![Southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@Southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southpaw)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/14 "2006-08-16T13:08:40Z")
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 by Daniel Defoe 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/15 "2006-08-16T15:39:02Z")
> [@Rufus Xavier](#): > > 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. This sounds reasonable, but is it really why? I enjoyed Erica Jong’s parody novel **Fanny: Being the True History of the Adventures of Fanny Hackabout-Jones**. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/16 "2006-08-16T15:39:57Z")
Moll Flanders: what a great title that was… Wasn’t the Hobbit also titled “There and back again; A Hobbit’s tale” ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/17 "2006-08-16T15:49:32Z")
Graham Greene did this once with _Dr Fischer of Geneva, or, The Bomb Party_ ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/18 "2006-08-16T16:54:43Z")
> [@Southpaw](#): > > 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 > > by Daniel Defoe > > 😃 You’d think with a title like that, there’d be no need for a summary. [You’d be wrong.](http://www.rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/defoe.moll.shtml) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aternative-titles-of-classic-novels/368882/19 "2006-08-16T17:44:17Z")
**Mostly Harmless: The Fifth Book in the Increasingly Inaccurately Named Hitchhiker’s Trilogy.** 😃