“Amongst other things, the title of a poem is a handle; a moniker; an entrance; an epiphany; an overview; a hinge; a first glimpse of the narrator; an illustration; a cover blurb; a foreword; a container; a puzzle; a mnemonic; a dreamscape; a proto-metaphor; a clue; a red herring; an impression; a surname; a signpost; a subtext; a précis; a brochure; a ritual; a contract; an escape clause; a souvenir; a programme; a translation; a polyglot; a market stall; an all-you-can-eat buffet; a description; a label; a magician’s hat; the secret name of the muse; an asylum; a safe house; a double entendre; an invocation; a spell; a charm; a warning; a skeleton key; a portmanteau; a joke; a mystery; a gesture; a flashlight; a tablecloth; a plot; a deception; a cast list; a question; an answer; a command; a suggestion; a conundrum; a kiss; a sword; a formula; a surprise.”
– Jane Holland
Read Jane’s full article ‘What’s in a Title?’ on her blog, Raw Light.
Tags: Jane Holland on titles, Jane Holland poet, poetry titles, What's in a Title?
2011/01/25 at 10:39 pm
2011/01/27 at 6:35 pm
this looked a simple list
then became intriguing.
tablecloth was my favorite to cover the thought.
crown is my contribution to the synonymic maze.
2011/01/27 at 7:04 pm
Hi Dale and Jack, I rather like ‘a magician’s hat’ and ‘a skeleton key’. I think it’s a wonderful paragraph.