Created By: Folamh3 on October 9, 2011
Last Edited By: chihuahua0 on January 17, 2012
Do We Have This One?. Needs More Examples
One typically expects the title of a work to reflect the content, tone and style of the content of the work in question, whether it's by summarizing the plot (even to the point of giving away the ending), referring obliquely to the plot and theme of the work by way of classical reference or simply being a silly joke that relates to the story in some way.
This trope is when this does not happen.
Perhaps the work is dark and serious while the title refers to kittens and rainbows (or vice versa). Perhaps it's a Literary Allusion Title, except the allusion in question makes absolutely no sense in the content of the work. And so on.
Sub-tropes include:
- Artifact Title: Initially made sense in context, but plot developments and so on have rendered the title irrelevant.
- Deceptively Silly Title: Silly when the work itself is not.
Other Examples:
Literature- Sunrise in the Warrior Cats series. Judging by the title, one would assume that the book is peaceful or at least has a positive mood. Not so. It was a Publisher-Chosen Title, because they thought that the authors' Working Title, Cruel Season, would make the book seem too depressing - never mind that Cruel Season more accurately describes the content of the book.
Hello, Unknown Troper. You'll need to get known to lend a hand here.
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Replies: 14
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Folamh3bump
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Dawnwing
- Sunrise in the Warrior Cats series. Judging by the title, one would assume that the book is peaceful or at least has a positive mood. Not so. It was a Publisher Chosen Title, because they thought that the authors' Working Title, Cruel Season, would make the book seem too depressing - never mind that Cruel Season more accurately describes the content of the book.
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X2XIf this is indeed a Super Trope, does it really need examples?
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Folamh3I intended it for examples that don't fit into any of the sub-tropes. Much like how Painting The Fourth Wall has a list of subtropes, and then a list of examples which (in theory) don't fit into any of the sub-tropes.
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surgoshanSee also Covers Always Lie.
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QueequegThe Postman Always Rings Twice contains no postmen and no doorbells.
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randomsurferThe ykttw Dropped Title
seems similar.
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JohnDiFoolI Am Not Shazam?
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bulmabriefs144Needs more examples.
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MidnightRamblerIsn't Never Trust A Title the appropriate Super Trope?
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ScanVisorNeon Genesis Evangelion Any Final Fantasy game.
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chihuahua0I'm grabbing this. This Deceptively Silly Title is the only trope that I'm sure is a sub-trope, should I add a list of possible causes? And if no one objects, I'll scrap the entire paragraph about Word Salad, since Never Trust A Title might cover that.
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tustin2121MST 3 K did a skit on this/Covers Always Lie. It was the Merlin episode, I saw it recently. You could get a page quote from that, or list it as an example of Parodied.
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chihuahua0Does anyone know any examples of Deceptively Edgy Title, so I can start a YKTTW on that?
