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Titology, a term first coined in 1977 by literary critic Harry Levin, is the field of literary studies that focuses on the significance of a title in establishing the thematic developments of the pages that follow. While the term has been used in the literary community for thirty years, this book presents for the first time a thoroughly developed theoretical discussion on the significance of the title as a foundation for scholarly criticism. Though Maiorino acknowledges that many titles are superficial and indexical, there exists a separate and more complex class of titles that do much more than simply decorate a books spine. To prove this argument, Maiorino analyzes a wide range of examples from the modern era through high modernism to postermodernism, with writings spanning the globe from Spain and France to Germany and America. By examining works such as Essais, The Waste Land, Ulysses, and Don Quixote, First Pages proves the power of the title to connect the reader.
About the author
Giancarlo Maiorino is Rudy Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature, Indiana University. He is the author of numerous books, including At the Margins of the Renaissance: Lazarillo de Tormes and the Picaresque Art of Survival (Penn State, 2003), winner of the 2004 Modern Language Association's James Russell Lowell Prize.
Summary
First Pages proves the power of the title to connect the reader to the thematic, cultural, and literary context of the writing as a whole. Much like a façade to a building, the title page serves as the frontispiece of literature, a sign that offers perspective and demands interpretation.
