1. The Great Gatsby was very nearly Trimalchio In West Egg. That title would have been a disaster!
2. Pride and Prejudice was first called First Impressions. Not quite as memorable compared to Austen's most well-known book.
3. Gone With the Wind was almost Mules in Horses' Harness, among many options. That is the one of the weirdest titles I've ever heard. Whew, glad Mitchell's publisher talked her out of it. She also considered Tomorrow is Another Day even though it would give away the ending.
4. Catch-22 was almost Catch-18, or -11, or who knows what number. Hey, I thought Catch-22 was actually a thing. I guess Heller made it up.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird was nearly called Atticus. Apparently the publisher didn't think the book was that focused on just one character. Neither do I. Isn't Scout the number one person in the book?
6. Dracula has stood the test of time. Do you think it's original title The Dead Un-Dead would have?
7. Orwell wanted to name his book The Last Man in Europe instead of the much more memorable 1984.
8. Nabakov's Lolita was nearly The Kingdom By the Sea. That title is not as creepy as what it became but I do not remember anything in the book having to do with kingdoms or seas so it is a head-scratcher why the author wanted that for its title.
9. Where the Wild Things Are, the classic children's illustrated book, was nearly Where the Wild Horses Are until Sendak realized he couldn't draw horses very well. Ha!
10. Do you think that The Very Hungry Caterpillar would be as wildly popular if it was published with it's first title, A Week With Willie Worm?
Another twist on the title topic could have been books titles that are different in different countries. Maybe I'll do that on a freebie week.
I like your tweak of the prompt. Titles are important. A title should be a bit of poetry. A title should resonate with the reader during the reading.
ReplyDeleteFun post! It was fascinating to see what the titles might have been. I have trouble titling my blog posts sometimes; I can't imagine trying to choose a book title. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure titles are difficult to select but some of the options seemed bonkers. The Great Gatsby title that wasn't chosen makes my head shake.
DeleteSendak couldn't draw horses? That's funny. :D I for one am really glad he went with monsters instead!
ReplyDeleteI know. I think that is funny that Sendak didn't think he drew horses well.
DeleteWow I didn't know any of these! The great Gatsby though- yikes that would have been different!!!
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