# Let's name & discuss stories in which the title character is not the protagonist. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924 "2010-03-18T19:25:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/61 "2010-03-19T02:31:49Z")
No one has mentioned Chasing Amy? 'Cause that’s the first one that came to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/62 "2010-03-19T03:20:29Z")
Terry Pratchett’s _Hogfather_, although I suppose you could argue that while Death was performing the office, he could be considered the actual Hogfather. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Not\_Appearing\_on\_This\_Site](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@Sir\_Not\_Appearing\_on\_This\_Site](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Not_Appearing_on_This_Site)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/63 "2010-03-19T03:30:00Z")
_Fanny and Alexander_ Alexander is definitely the main character, but Fanny is barely in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/64 "2010-03-19T03:49:14Z")
I’ve never heard a single episode of Amos & Andy. But I seem to remember a Cecil column discussing the show which said that one of the title characters faded into the background, and became a supporting character for most of the run. I can’t find the column right now. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/65 "2010-03-19T04:34:39Z")
_A Prayer For Owen Meany_. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/66 "2010-03-19T06:09:03Z")
_Angela’s Ashes_. Agatha Christie mystery novel titles do this a lot: besides the abovementioned _Murder of Roger Ackroyd_, there’s _Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?_ and _What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw_ and _Mrs. McGinty’s Dead_ and a few more. Arguably, the protagonist in Charlotte Bronte’s _Shirley_ isn’t Shirley herself but rather Caroline. Though the four main characters all get a lot of stage time. Likewise, the title character of Ford Madox Ford’s _The Good Soldier_ isn’t really the protagonist either. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/67 "2010-03-19T06:29:02Z")
> [@Promethea](#): > > **Rebecca**. That’s the first one that occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/68 "2010-03-19T06:52:39Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > How about the Great Gatsby? It’s been a little while, but I think I would say Nick is the protagonist. I really wouldn’t. The protagonist needs to be involved in the climax, which is Gatsby’s death. Nick is just the narrator, the story is about Gatsby, and, by extension, the futility of the American Dream. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/69 "2010-03-19T07:21:03Z")
A classic example is \*The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy \*by Sterne. By the time the novel finishes the purported hero of it has scarcely been born, the main subject of it being Shandy’s father Walter, Uncle Toby and Trim. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/70 "2010-03-19T07:42:47Z")
Would _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ count? The actual “raiders” are the Nazis, and possibly Belloq – Indiana himself came late to the party. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/71 "2010-03-19T15:06:36Z")
_ **Rachel Getting Married** _. And I would agree with \*\*Peter Morris \*\*that Judas is the protagonist of _JCS_; it’s his viewpoint that we start the story from and that forms the filter for much of the retelling. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/72 "2010-03-19T15:09:45Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > Would _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ count? On the Lucas kick, we also have \*\*\*The Phantom Menace \*\*\*(and possibly _ **Attack of the Clones** _, though that doesn’t mention a specific person). ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/73 "2010-03-19T16:01:02Z")
In the Legend of Zelda series of games, Zelda usually has a very minor role as the damsel in distress and does not get much screen time. In some games in the series, Zelda doesn’t even appear at all. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/74 "2010-03-19T16:03:19Z")
It’s kind of a nerd shibboleth, isn’t it? Knowing that the little guy in green is Link and not Zelda, I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/75 "2010-03-19T16:47:20Z")
**The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas** the book and not the movie mentioned earlier, just pretends in the title to be about Alice but is actually about Gertrude Stein. I believe it’s generally understood to have been written by Stein and not Toklas. I love Rebecca too. perfect example. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/76 "2010-03-19T16:54:21Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > They are descriptions. And there are plenty of other descriptions in this thread that you didn’t object to, e.g. The Merchant Of Venice, The Thin Man, The Third Man, and so on. I’d say that Sleuth and Lady are as valid as they are. Except that the OP specifically asks for characters MENTIONED BY NAME in the title. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/77 "2010-03-19T17:06:12Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Except that the OP specifically asks for characters MENTIONED BY NAME in the title. Well, to nitpick, it doesn’t absolutely explicitly do so. It \*strongly implies \*it, because it says “the name in the title,” but it doesn’t “specifically ask.” And the thread title just says “title character,” which one could argue would apply to descriptions and not just names. Bound to happen once the thread has run on long enough that people are remembering the theme but not the specifics. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/78 "2010-03-19T17:18:59Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Well, to nitpick, it doesn’t absolutely explicitly do so. It \*strongly implies \*it, because it says “the name in the title,” but it doesn’t “specifically ask.” And the thread title just says “title character,” which one could argue would apply to descriptions and not just names. Bound to happen once the thread has run on long enough that people are remembering the theme but not the specifics. Yes, but by your logic I don’t get to rant! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/79 "2010-03-19T17:26:13Z")
The Great Gatsby is about Gatsby and he is its protagonist. Nick is a narrator with background. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/80 "2010-03-19T17:50:21Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Except that the OP specifically asks for characters MENTIONED BY NAME in the title. And if you had raised the same objection to The Merchant Of Venice, The Thin Man and The Third Man then I wouldn’t have posted them. The point is, I’m not protesting that I’m right and you’re wrong. I’m protesting that you are “picking on me” and ignoring everyone else doing the same thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924.md?page=5)