History ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin / Literature

* Creator/CordwainerSmith's short story "Mark Elf" is a semi-aversion which doubles as a kind of StealthPun. The phrase "Mark Elf" does indeed appear in the story, but not in connection with anybody named Mark, elfin or otherwise. [[spoiler:It refers to a "Mark Elf" (German for "Model Eleven") man-hunter robot.]]

** In a similar vein, there's ''Conjuring: Being a Definitive Account of the Venerable Arts of Sorcery, Prestidigitation, Wizardry, Deception, & Chicanery and of the Mountebanks & Scoundrels Who Have Perpetrated These Subterfuges on a Bewildered Public, by James Randi Esq., a Contrite Rascal Once Dedicated to these Wicked Practices but Now Almost Totally Reformed''.

* In a similar vein, there's ''Conjuring: Being a Definitive Account of the Venerable Arts of Sorcery, Prestidigitation, Wizardry, Deception, & Chicanery and of the Mountebanks & Scoundrels Who Have Perpetrated These Subterfuges on a Bewildered Public, by James Randi Esq., a Contrite Rascal Once Dedicated to these Wicked Practices but Now Almost Totally Reformed''.

* ''[[Literature/VTuberLegendHowIWentViralAfterForgettingToTurnOffMyStream VTuber Legend How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream]]'' If the title doesn't tell the story enough, the previously unpopular protagonist achieve fame after showing off her crude self because she forgot to turn off her stream.

* ''Literature/TheBlueLagoon'' is a story about two young children who become stranded on a tropical island with a beautiful blue lagoon.

* In ''Literature/AllTheWayToTheGallows'', the short story "A Most Offensive Weapon", about a sentient weapon that makes offensive comments to everyone in hearing range.

* Many LightNovels and their animated adaptations, particularly starting in UsefulNotes/The2000s, have long titles that essentially spells out the basic premise of their story (if not, at times, [[SpoilerTitle outright spoiling it]]). Such titles include (but are not limited to): ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'', ''Literature/TheHeroAndHisElfBrideOpenAPizzaParlorInAnotherWorld'', and ''Literature/RebornAsAVendingMachineINowWanderTheDungeon''.

''[[Literature/VTuberLegendHowIWentViralAfterForgettingToTurnOffMyStream VTuber Legend How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream]]'' If the title doesn't tell the story enough, the previously unpopular protagonist achieve fame after showing off her crude self because she forgot to turn off her stream.

* The [[LongTitle full title]] of ''Literature/MollFlanders'' is ''The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Etc. Who Was Born In Newgate, and During a Life of Continu'd Variety For Threescore Years, Besides Her Childhood, Was Twelve Year a Whore, Five Times a Wife [Whereof Once To Her Own Brother], Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon In Virginia, At Last Grew Rich, Liv'd Honest, and Died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums.''

* ''Literature/CautionaryTalesForChildren'': The story, ''Jim, Who Ran Away from His Nurse, and Was Eaten by a Lion'', is about a SpoiledBrat named Jim who runs away from his nanny while on a trip to the zoo and gets [[EatenAlive eaten]] [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath by a lion.]]

* ''Literature/CautionaryTalesForChildren'': The story, "Jim, Who Ran Away from His Nurse, and Was Eaten by a Lion", is about a SpoiledBrat named Jim who runs away from his nanny while on a trip to the zoo and gets eaten by a lion.

* ''[[LightNovel/ImABehemothAnSRankedMonster I'm a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl's Pet]]''. Baby behemoths apparently look exactly like housecats.

* The titles of some books in ''Literature/TheBible'' leave no doubt as to their contents -- in particular, [[Literature/BookOfProverbs Proverbs]], [[Literature/BookOfPsalms Psalms]], and Lamentations. Also, [[BilingualBonus the word "Bible" means "book"]][[note]]Koine Greek: τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía, "the books"[[/note]]. It's a book of books.

* ''Literature/KnavesOnWaves'' is about pirates. Shocking.

* ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'': The main character killed [[CuteSlimeMook slimes]] for [[Really700YearsOld 300 years]] and [[ComicallyInvincibleHero maxed out her level]].

* The titles of some books in ''Literature/TheBible'' leave no doubt as to their contents -- in particular, Proverbs, Psalms, and Lamentations. Also, [[BilingualBonus the word "Bible" means "book"]][[note]]Koine Greek: τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía, "the books"[[/note]]. It's a book of books.

* The "every-flavor beans" from ''Franchise/HarryPotter''. They include not only all ''good'' flavors, but literally every possible flavor including, infamously, earwax. Why anyone would buy a candy that tastes awful most of the time is best explained by RuleOfFunny.

* ''LightNovel/TheHeroAndHisElfBrideOpenAPizzaParlorInAnotherWorld''. Adding insult to injury(?), the hero ends up in the situation described by the title through reincarnation, after being run over by a pizza-delivery moped.

* ''LightNovel/SkeletonKnightInAnotherWorld''. A gamer winds up in a gamery universe, as a skeleton knight.

* ''Literature/IWasASwordWhenIReincarnated'', a.k.a. ''Reincarnated As A Sword''. Neither requires much further explanation.

* ''Lightnovel/IWasASwordWhenIReincarnated'', a.k.a. ''Reincarnated As A Sword''. Neither requires much further explanation.

* The {{Historiography}} '''''Moby-Duck. The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea''' and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and '''Fools''', Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them'' by Creator/DonovanHohn is an account of his years-long hunt for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_Floatees_spill Friendly Floatees] of the 1992 spill, and of all the other people that also hunted for them.