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3%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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9[[quoteright:329:[[ComicBook/{{Marvels}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sldkjfsd_3.png]]]]
10[[caption-width-right:329:So meta it makes the readers lose their Marvels.]]
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15TheNamesake of a story can be all kinds of things: a person, a symbol, a weapon. Sometimes, in just a touch of meta-fiction, the Namesake is a book within the book or a show within a show. Sometimes, as in ''[[Literature/TheStormlightArchive The Way of Kings]]'', this is a holy book. Sometimes, as in ''Literature/TheKingInYellow'', it's a distinctly unholy book. In any case, it's very important in some way to the story, although how is not always clear at first.
16
17Might arise as a result of IShouldWriteABookAboutThis. Compare VisualTitleDrop.
18----
19!!Examples:
20[[foldercontrol]]
21
22[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
23* ''Nami yo Kiite Kure'' (''Manga/WaveListenToMe'' in English), which is the name of the radio show Minare hosts in the late-night slots every day.
24* ''Anime/YuriOnIce'' shares the name with a song composed for the protagonist Yuri Katsuki, used as a musical summary of his character for the show's final tournament.
25[[/folder]]
26
27[[folder:Comic Books]]
28* Similar to ''The Krypton Chronicles'' was ''ComicBook/TheAtlantisChronicles'', which explored ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'s ancestry through The Atlantis Chronicles, the collected archives of Atlantean Royal Historians.
29* ''ComicBook/TheLastAvengersStory'' is titled after an in-universe book that onstensibly tells of ComicBook/TheAvengers' final conflict, with Ultron, Kang and others trying to make it come to pass. [[spoiler: It's fake.]]
30* Creator/MarvelComics published ''ComicBook/DarkholdPagesFromTheBookOfSins'' in which a group of heroes tried to find the lost pages of the eponymous Darkhold. (The Darkhold is basically the Franchise/MarvelUniverse's equivalent of the Necronomicon.) A later miniseries is just titled ''ComicBook/{{Darkhold}}''.
31* ''ComicBook/LexLuthor: The Unauthorized Biography'' is a graphic novel about a reporter trying to write an unauthorized biography about Lex Luthor.
32* ''ComicBook/TheLifeStoryOfTheFlash'' is based on the book that Iris West will write about Franchise/TheFlash in the future.
33* ''ComicBook/{{Marvels}}'' is about a Muggle Daily Bugle photographer named Phil Sheldon, who documents the activities and reputations of the Marvel Universe's superheroes. Near the end, he publishes a book called "Marvels".
34* ''ComicBook/{{Silverblade}}'' takes its title from the InUniverse movie ''The Silver Blade'': Jonathan Lord's most famous film, in which her plays a character called 'Silverblade'.
35* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
36** ''ComicBook/TheKryptonChronicles'' was Creator/DCComics' mini-series exploring Superman's ancestry. In it, Clark Kent is commissioned to write a book about Superman's ancestors called ''The Krypton Chronicles''.
37** ''Under a Yellow Sun'' was a graphic novel about Clark Kent trying to write a novel. It was also the title of the novel.
38[[/folder]]
39
40[[folder:Fan Works]]
41* ''Fanfic/NotTheIntendedUseZantetsukenReverse'': "Chapter 20: Dracula (the book, not the person)", references the in-universe version of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''.
42* In the ''Fanfic/SkyholdAcademyYearbook'' series, there are a few of these. Most are chapters within the various installments, but a couple - ''I Must Be Going'' and ''Beauty and the Bloodsucker'' - are full installments themselves. All of them are [[StoryWithinAStory fan fics]] written by various characters about [[RealPersonFic one another]]; [[Franchise/DragonAge Varric]] is the most prolific offender, not that his friends are surprised.
43[[/folder]]
44
45[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]
46* ''Film/TwoThousandFortySix'' is the name of the science fiction serial Chow is writing. (Amongst other things. The number crops up a lot in the movie.)
47* ''Film/AllTooWellTheShortFilm'': By the end, "Her" has written a book titled ''All Too Well'', presumably about the heartache of her youth, as "Him" looks on from outside a book reading.
48* ''Film/AmazonWomenOnTheMoon'' takes its name from the cheesy 1950s BMovie being [[ShowWithinAShow shown on late night TV within the film]].
49* ''Film/{{Argo}}'' is based on a true story. However, the title refers to the fake film script that is used as a cover to get American hostages out of Iran.
50* ''Film/BadGirlsFromMars'': The movie's title is that of the [[ShowWithinAShow film within the film]], a softcore porno beset by a string of murders targeting the female leads.
51* ''Film/{{Bruiser}}'' is the name of the magazine that Henry (and most of his victims) works for.
52* ''Film/CemeteryGates'' is the name of the student film Hunter is shooting in the cemetery before he and his friends are attacked by the [[VolatileTasmanianDevil giant genetically mutated Tasmanian devil]].
53* In ''Film/CrimeWave'', ''Crime Wave'' is the title of the screenplay Steven is attempting to write.
54* ''Film/DeathTrap'' the film is about two guys writing a murder mystery called ''Death Trap'' who indulge in some murder themselves.
55* ''Film/TheEvilDead1981'' was originally named ''Book of the Dead'' after the book of the same name, which appears in the movie. The name was changed because the executives didn't want people to think it was a movie about a book.
56* ''Film/AFaceInTheCrowd'' is a backstage drama about a fictional radio and television show of the same name.
57* ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem'' is an unusual example because the book which the protagonist is writing has been {{defictionalised}}... and this defictionalised book came out years ''before'' the film.
58* ''Film/{{Foolproof}}'' is the name of a game Kevin, Sam and Rob invented in which they create working plans to infiltrate and burgle various targets.
59* While ''Film/TheGallows'' refers to the physical gallows on stage, the play that is being performed is also titled ''The Gallows''
60* The title of ''Film/TheHillsRunRed'' comes from the lost eighties SlasherMovie that the cast is looking for. [[spoiler:Little do they know that it is still being filmed, with them being the next unwilling participants]].
61* ''Film/IAmNotAnEasyMan'' is the name of the novel that is written in the film by the secondary protagonist, Alexandra.
62* ''Film/InTheMouthOfMadness'' the main character is tasked with finding the writer behind the titular book. [[spoiler:It turns out we've been watching the FilmOfTheBook of said story.]]
63* ''Film/{{Jumanji}}'' is the name of the board game the characters are playing; that comes alive and starts intruding on the real world.
64** In ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'', the board game has become a video game that traps the characters inside the game world.
65* ''Film/TheManWhoKilledDonQuixote'' is the name of Toby's student film: the making of which sets in motion the events which will catch up with him 10 years later. Scenes of it appear as a FilmWithinAFilm when Toby discovers a bootleg DVD of it.
66* In ''Film/TheManWhoLovedWomen'', the protagonist writes a book named ''The Man Who Loved Women''.
67* ''Film/NakedLunch'' turns out to be a novel Lee is writing throughout the film.
68* In ''Film/{{Necronomicon}}'', Lovecraft reads the fictional occult book ''The Necronomicon'' to access the stories which make up the AnthologyFilm.
69* The ''Film/APrairieHomeCompanion'' film is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a fictionalized version of the ''Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion'' radio show.
70* ''Film/ThePurpleRoseOfCairo'' is about characters in the titular film and how they interact with their viewers.
71* ''Film/RaisingCain'' gets its name from the book that main character's father wrote while experimenting on him.
72* ''Film/ScareCampaign'' is the name of the prank TV show the protagonists work for.
73* ''Film/SerialKilling4Dummys'' is the title of the paper Casey hands in to Mr. Korn.
74* ''Film/SevenPsychopaths'' is about a guy trying to write a screenplay called ''Seven Psychopaths'', and how he gets involved with several himself.
75* ''Film/{{Slashers}}'' is the name of Japanese game show that the film follows an episode of.
76* ''Film/SonOfRambow'' is about two kids who, after watching bootlegged ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'' movies, are inspired to make a sequel. Because the kids can't spell, it's also an InheritedIlliteracyTitle.
77* ''Film/StayAlive2006'' is the name of TheMostDangerousVideoGame the film is about.
78* ''Film/ThisIsYourDeath'' is about a television programme titled ''This Is Your Death'' where people commit suicide live on air.
79* ''Film/ThreeAmigos'' is about a trio of actors who star in short silent films with that title.
80* ''Film/VigilanteDiaries'' is the title of Mike Hanover's web video series about the Vigilante.
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Literature]]
84* ''36 Arguments for the Existence of God'' refers to an ''appendix'' within the protagonist's book within a book ''The Varieties of Religious Illusion''. However, self-referentially, the novel itself appends the (or a) similar list after the last chapter of fiction.
85* Stephen Manes' ''Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!''
86* ''The Book of Ultimate Truths'' by Creator/RobertRankin, the first novel in the Hugo Rune/Cornelius Murphy saga, is named after Rune's greatest work.
87* ''Literature/TheBlindAssassin'' is named for the book written by the main character's sister and posthumously published after her death. That book is ''also'' an InUniverse example of this, as it features a FramingDevice of a man telling the story of the titular blind assassin to his clandestine lover.
88* ''Literature/BookOfNight''
89* The first book of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'', ''The Book of Three,'' is named for the magical book that serves as a [=MacGuffin=] for the plot. The book continues to be an important item throughout the rest of the series.
90* ''Literature/TheCityAndTheCity''
91* ''Literature/{{Cryptonomicon}}'': Inside the story, the Cryptonomicon is a comprehensive study of cryptology, both for making and breaking codes.
92* ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': The most important reference work for any hoopy galactic traveller. The entry for Earth consists entirely of the words "Mostly harmless."
93* ''Literature/HouseOfLeaves''
94* ''Literature/InfiniteJest'': The FictionalDocument is, in this case, a film so mesmerizing that the U.S. government is interested in weaponizing it.
95* ''Literature/TheKingInYellow'': A play that, when read or performed, drives the audience violently insane.
96* ''Literature/TheMalazanBookOfTheFallen'' [[spoiler: which the Crippled God writes in tribute to all those who died in the course of his healing and liberation.]]
97* ''Literature/TheManualOfDetection'': The book in question is a handbook for the detectives of The Agency. [[spoiler:Almost all extant editions appear to be missing a chapter.]]
98* ''Literature/{{Misery}}'' is named after the fictional best-selling novel series starring [[ProtagonistTitle Misery Chastain]] written by the protagonist, who is an author.
99* The ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' novel ''The Book of Atrus'' is named for the journal of Atrus which is found near the end of the story.
100* ''Literature/ANecklaceOfFallenStars'' derives its name from the final story the [[RebelliousPrincess main]] [[TheStoryteller character]] tells to her [[WanderingMinstrel companion]].
101* ''Literature/ANecklaceOfFallenStars'': The novel derives its named after the last tale Kaela tells.
102* ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'': Not only does the whole premise revolve around Bastian reading a book called ''The Neverending Story'', but even within ''that'' book is another book called ''The Neverending Story'', which has the same exact words as the book that the audience is holding in their very hands. Later, Bastian even lampshades this, as he ponders the possibility that everything he is doing now might be read by somebody else reading ''The Neverending Story''.
103* Creator/KimNewman:
104** ''Where the Bodies are Buried'' (a set of linked short stories later published as a collection) takes its name from a horror film (and its sequels) that has a disturbing effect on reality.
105** The novella "Teddy Bear's Picnic" takes its title from an InUniverse novel that is being made into a film.
106%%* ''Literature/PaleFire''
107* ''[[Literature/ChroniclesOfTheBlackGate The Path of Flames]]'' shares its title with a [[FictionalDocument philosophical text]] that a character finds in an abandoned castle.
108* ''So You Want to Be a Wizard'' is the first book in the ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series, and also a title of the main character's [[SpellBook wizards' manual]] that appears in it. Later books in the series imply that the fictional book looks like a real-world book to anyone unauthorized who tries to read it. In the same series, ''Book Of Night With Moon''.
109* Each book in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' shares a name with an in-universe book:
110** ''Literature/TheWayOfKings2010'' is named after a collection of parables written by a legendary king, which serves as some combination of holy book, philosophy text, and code of chivalry.
111** ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' is named after a history of the Knights Radiant, the legendary orders of {{Magic Knight}}s who are [[TheMagicComesBack resurfacing in the present day]].
112** ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'' is named after the memoir that [[spoiler:Dalinar]] begins writing at the end of the book, which in turn is named after Dalinar's Shardblade, once wielded by the founder of Alethkar.
113** ''Literature/RhythmOfWar'' is named after [[spoiler: the research journal produced by Navani Kholin and Raboniel, Lady of Pain, chronicling their research into the properties of Light during the occupation of Urithiru.]]
114* The Creator/RobertRankin novel ''The Suburban Book of the Dead: Armageddon III: The Remake'' is named after ''The Suburban Book of the Dead'', a religious tome within the book... but which turns out not to be the same ''Suburban Book of the Dead'' that appeared in ''Armageddon: The Musical''.
115* ''The Twilight of the Vilp'' by Paul Ableson is about the surreal misadventures of a novelist attempting to write a novel titled ''The Twilight of the Vilp''.
116* ''Literature/TheTwoGeorges'' is the name of a painting depicting the reconciliation of George Washington and King George III at the end of an [[AlternateHistory alternate]] [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American Revolution]], which ended with a compromise making North America a British dominion. The theft of the painting kickstarts the plot.
117* ''The Unstrung Harp'' is about a novelist writing another cheap potboiler called ''The Unstrung Harp''. The actual book is a short illustrated book, but the metafictional one, a {{Doorstopper}} of dubious quality with a nonsensical title. The covers are identical, too.
118* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' picture book ''Literature/WheresMyCow'' is about Sam Vimes reading a book called ''Where's My Cow?'' to his son.
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
122* ''Series/TheBigLeap'' is a series about a reality show titled ''The Big Leap'' and the dancers who are part of it.
123* ''Series/{{Cult}}'' is about a cult which follows the TV show within a show called ''Cult'', which features a cult. To pile on top of that, the show within a show was based on a cult within the main show. One only wonders what would have happened if the show had been a hit and developed a fanatical cult following.
124* ''Frontline'' is the name of the ShowWithinAShow that the actual ''Series/{{Frontline}}'' is a FauxDocumentary about.
125* ''Series/OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding'' is about three apartment building residents who start a true crime podcast which is also titled ''Only Murders In The Building''.
126* ''Series/{{Pulaski}}'' (a.k.a. ''Pulaski: The TV Detective'') was series about Larry Summers, an actor who plays the title character (a former priest turned PI) on the ShowWithinAShow ''Pulaski'', and who keeps getting caught up in adventures that would be more appropriate for the character he plays.
127[[/folder]]
128
129[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
130* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', the ''Book of Vile Darkness'' and the ''Book of Exalted Deeds'' are a pair of [[TomeOfEldritchLore magical books]], the former being usable by Evil characters and the latter by Good ones. During the 3.5 era, they were also the titles of a pair of sourcebooks which delved into topics and game mechanics geared towards characters of the appropriate alignments.
131[[/folder]]
132
133[[folder:Theatre]]
134* ''Theatre/CityOfAngels'' is about the production of a FilmNoir titled ''City of Angels''.
135%%* Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein's ''Me and Juliet'' is a musical about a musical. (Needs to actually state that the musical within the musical shares the same name, otherwise it's just describing ShowWithinAShow. I haven't seen it so I can't confirm one way or the other.)
136* ''Theatre/TheRealInspectorHound'' is a play about two theater critics watching a production of ''The Real Inspector Hound''.
137[[/folder]]
138
139[[folder:Video Games]]
140* ''VideoGame/DandyDungeon'' is both the name of the actual app and of the game main character Yamada is working on, and that we're going to play since he asked us to debug it for him. So we're playing both Yamada's life and the game he's making, and they overlap in several ways...
141* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series gets its name from the Elder Scrolls, a form of TomeOfEldritchLore referred to as "fragments of creation." They're indisputable recordings of what happens, what could have happened, and what may happen, being heavily associated with prophecy. Reading them also usually comes with a heavy dose of blindness and madness, and they're also known to have some [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] powers. In the fifth game, one character describes them by saying, "[[MindScrew They do not exist, but they have always existed.]]" In a twist on the trope, the name was chosen as a sur-title to ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'' because, according to the developers, "[[RuleOfCool it sounded cool]]", and it was only after that they figured out what the Elder Scrolls would be in-universe.
142* 'VideoGame/{{Inscryption}}" is a title of an in-universe game that [[spoiler: Luke Carder, an aspiring youtuber found on a floppy disk buried in the woods. And the game takes place from a perspective of someone watching him play it.]]
143* ''VideoGame/TalesOfAsteria'': In the finale, Orie decides to [[IShouldWriteABookAboutThis summarise the events of the game into a book]] for Tirug. She names the book "Tales of Asteria", and names each arc after what the game itself refers to it as. The book's subtitle "a tale of intersecting thoughts connected by the stars" is itself a reference to the game's tagline "an RPG that connects intersecting thoughts".
144* ''VideoGame/UrielsChasm'''s story is told through cutscenes of the video team Shovelware Queens making commentary on the game ''Uriel's Chasm''.
145[[/folder]]
146
147[[folder:Webcomics]]
148%% * ''The [[Webcomic/ArtOfDomination Art of Domination]]''
149%% * ''Webcomic/ABeginnersGuideToTheEndOfTheUniverse'' [[spoiler:(though it doesn't show up until the very end.)]]
150* ''Webcomic/AHeartfeltAndante'': The webcomic shares its title, ''A Heartfelt Andante'', with a music composition Yuwon was working on before he died.
151%% * ''The Hero's Handbook''
152%%* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': The comic's namesake is a MagicalGirl celebrity magazine, which appears as [[https://www.sleeplessdomain.com/comic/chapter-1-cover the cover of the first chapter]] to set the tone for the CelebritySuperhero culture that is central to the story. Curiously enough, it also serves as a TrivialTitle in this sense -- the magazine itself has made no appearance whatsoever in the comic proper.
153[[/folder]]
154
155[[folder:Web Original]]
156* ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'' is named after the unfinished student film project ''Marble Hornets''.
157[[/folder]]
158
159[[folder:Western Animation]]
160* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': In combination with TitleByYear: An episode called "Reptar 2010", also named for the ShowWithinAShow that's named for its future setting of 2010.
161[[/folder]]

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