A Look at 20 Popular Gothic Titles
Sometimes a title jumps out at you when you’re writing your book, or even beforehand. Such was the case for my second novel, The Monster of Vienna, which is currently in process. Other times, pulling a title out of the work is a desperate search for the lost city of Atlantis. Nothing seems to land in the right spot and and even your best sources of insight and advice come up empty-handed. What do you do then? How do you find that perfect title?
The short(est) answer is that the title should be a good summary of the theme—the purpose or meaning of the novel, but there are several ways to do this. We’ll look at twenty popular gothic titles to see how the authors chose that perfectly memorable caption. Though these are gothic examples, the principles below can apply to other genres as well.
The Titular Protagonist
When the story is heavily if not exclusively based on the character journey of the protagonist, the title should reflect that.
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is a great example of this as the story is entirely based on the growth and development of the titular character.
- Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley is another. In this case, Shelley chose two titles—one a reference to the struggles and changes of Dr. Frankenstein; the other a more thematic allusion to Frankenstein’s war against death and his attempts to create human life.
The Antagonist
Other times, the story is primarily about the antagonist and the effect that character has on the protagonist. In that case, naming the story after the villain is entirely appropriate.
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier tells the story of an unnamed protagonist and her internal war living in the perceived shadow of the titular antagonist.
- Readers have speculated about the meaning of Dracula by Bram Stoker, but the one thing that each of these interpretations share in common is that they center on the interpretation of Dracula’s character.
- The Woman in Black by Susan Hill is a ghost story. Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor, is haunted by the titular ghost, but at its heart, the novel is about the woman in black, what she suffered, and what suffering she, in turn, wreaks in the lives of those whom she encounters.
- Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice is the third story in her Vampire Chronicles. In this one, Rice traces the vampires’ history back to its origins—to the original queen of the damned. Hence the title is an aptly chosen reference to the story’s focus and purpose.
Mood/ Voice
Sometimes a story, especially a gothic one, is so emotionally driven and those emotions parallel the story’s theme so adeptly that the author chooses a title that highlights this fact. The following are three such examples.
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is both a reference to its principle setting (on a windy, “wuthering” hilltop) and to the tempestuous nature of the characters.
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a beautifully haunting tale of a boy who, in the wake of his mother’s death, sets out on a journey to uncover the fate of the lost works by his favorite author. It’s a story about the things and people that leave an indelible mark on us though they may and often will be lost to us.
- The Turn of the Screw by Henry James reflects the nature of story itself. The involvement of the two children, Miles and Flora, is what James refers to as the turn of the screw—the thing that takes a terrifying ghost story to a point of greater horror.
Style
Once in awhile it’s appropriate to reference the novel’s style. This is used very infrequently and only when the style or nature of the story is so contrary to reader expectations that it says something compelling about the nature of the novel.
- The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix is novel in concept, not because it’s southern gothic, which has a long-standing and respectable history, but because it’s funny. Yes, it’s [very well-executed] dark humor mixed with a southern gothic story and the title reflects that.
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is just that: a gothic story set in Mexico. It’s a new and intriguing idea, thus the simple title works to capture readers’ attention.
Story Element or Structure
In a number of instances, it’s some element of the story, or the structure itself that the author references in the title. These are only a fraction of a step away from being a direct thematic reference, however, there is clearly a distinction as you’ll see below.
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson directly alludes to the duality of the titular character and the battle that he undergoes as his good nature both caters to and wars against his propensity for evil. This is thematic, but is written as if it were an investigation or a scientific inquiry, which suits the structure of the work.
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde references the portrait that Dorian commissions and which bears the face of his true nature—his unseen soul. The picture is crucial to understanding the story; without it the story is simply one of a playboy rather than a soul-searching philosophical question.
- Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice is just that. Rice has stated that she set out to write the book in order to explore the nature of the life of the vampire. Rather than simply being a villain without a backstory, she set out to ask what the vampire’s life and history meant to him. The book begins and ends with the interview and thus the title fits perfectly with her intentions.
- The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein is told through the unnamed main character’s diary entries. Throughout the story a subtle thread refers back to the luna moth the protagonist witnessed with her father, the countless moths in Ernessa’s room, and the implied moth-like nature of the girls at the school. Like the moths, each is in a state of transformation.
Direct Thematic Reference
And lastly, but most importantly, there are the works that pull directly from the story’s thematic purpose—what the author is exploring. These are always very strong, often the best, choices for titles.
- The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters features Dr. Faraday, a country physician who begins to care for the family at Hundreds Hall, shortly before things go progressively awry. What (or who) the little stranger is would be a plot spoiler, so I won’t give it away. However, if you’re looking for more information on this story (with plot spoilers) along with my review of Waters’ use of the uncanny, see the following article: Stepping Into the Void: A Look at the Uncanny. Suffice it to say that the little stranger is the entire point of the story.
- Child of God by Cormac McCarthy tells the story of Lester Ballard, a man who devolves from the loss of his home in the first scene to a vagabond and gruesome murderer. But McCarthy’s dominant point is one of warning—Lester, like each of us, is also a child of God. We could very easily find ourselves in his shoes.
- We Have Always Lived in a Castle by Shirley Jackson seems like a cumbersome title, and yet I can’t think of a better one. It’s the story of Merricat and her sister Constance and their journey to insulate themselves, both literally and figuratively, as individuals in their home—a castle or fortress of sorts— from the hostile community beyond their front door.
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury has a carnival feel about it. It fits the voice, setting and plot of the story and yet the title is also an allusion to man’s fear of aging and death—the something wicked that comes for us all.
- ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King tells the tale of Jerusalem’s Lot, a town in Maine taken over by vampires. On the surface the title appears to be nothing but a place reference. However, the abbreviation of Jerusalem to ‘Salem (a clear reference to the witch trials in Massachusetts) and the double meaning of the word lot (“parcel of land” versus “destiny”) lead us in a different direction. This is a story with a strong spiritual meaning to it, like many of King’s works. The title hints that this is a story of good versus evil.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of ways to title a book. However, some are more applicable than others. You’ll want to step back and assess which of these scenarios fits your manuscript most accurately and then brainstorm until something fits better than the others. It also helps to get feedback from beta readers and your editor. My editor was a great sounding board for my first novel, The Death of Clara Willenheim, and was able to confirm what fit best with the story.
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