Vilhotti, December 12, 13
Ms. V’s Guide to Titles.doc
Titles: Setting Your Reader Up for Success!
Build your own credibility as a writer through a proper “college style” title that
previews your thesis!
Titles: Notes
College-Level Formula for Literature Essay Titles =
Hook + Colon (:) + Thesis Preview (the explanation part)
A good title often has two parts: (1) the hook, or creative part, then a colon (:), and (2) the
explanation part. Try to explain the assignment in a “sophisticated,” yet clear way in the second
part. Think of that second part as a mini-thesis to set your reader up to really understand your
argument.
Another way to think about successful titles is that your title is like an advertisement. You want
to “prime” your reader (who might well skim your essay in college) to be ready to process your
nuanced argument in the introduction.
o
Example:
The [Alien]ation of War: Trauma, Escapism, and Insanity in Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five
[Here’s the “hook” part above] [colon  :]

[Here’s the detailed explanatory part]
Formatting  Centered, no bold, no underline, no quotes, Times New Roman, 12 point font.
o Example:
Pretty Little Fools: Feminism in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

Grammar, Mechanics & Title Etiquette 
o Underline or italicize (underlining & italicizing count as the same thing, FYI) titles of novels
included in the title
o Put -- short texts -- short stories and poems mentioned in the title in quotes
o Mention the author’s last name (but not first, which is too wordy) in the title
o Mention the title of the novel, short story, or poem in the title
o All words in the title are capitalized EXCEPT – prepositions (of, in, on), articles (a, an, the), and
conjunctions (and, or, nor, but, so). The one exception is if a preposition, article, or
conjunction begins the title or begins the part after the colon.
o
Non-example:
Green Lights, Yellow Cars: an Analysis Of color
symbolism In Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great
Gatsby”
How many grammar, mechanics, and “title etiquette” errors can you find in the title above? List them
here:
o
Ideas for the hook, or first part of the title:

QUOTE or TEXTUAL REFERENCE: A 2-5 word quote from the text that captures
the heart of your analysis. You may wish to put quotations around the quoted text, but
no quote location is needed.
“The Rich Get Richer, and the Poor Get… Children”: An Analysis of Class in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Happy as a Newfoundland Dog: Captain Delano’s Benign Racism in Melville’s “Benito Cereno”

PUN, JOKE, RHYME, STRIKING IMAGE or CULTURAL REFERENCE:
Clare in Wonderland: An Analysis of Crossing the Racial Line in Larsen’s “Passing”
Lady in Red: Color Symbolism and Feminism in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter
Holden on to Sanity: A Psychological Study of Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye
Trigger Happy: Abuse of Zero Tolerance Policies in American Public Schools

ALLITERATION:
“Sad Solemn Spectators”: An Analysis of Hawthorne’s Tone toward Puritan Society in The Scarlet Letter
Challenge!
Can you come up with a title using any of the above devices for Persepolis, “Africa Emergent,” “Civil
Peace,” “The Destination,” or any other texts you’ve read in school?