Exactly what it sounds like: something with a very long title.
Differs from In Which a Trope Is Described by being only about names; differs from Exactly What It Says on the Tin by not being required to be accurate. Sometimes uses colons extensively (but see also Short Title: Long, Elaborate Subtitle). See Overly Long Name for when this applies to characters.
It is worth noting that in the 18th and 19th centuries, titles were used to interest people in a particular book, in the same way back-side blurbs are today. A work with an Either/Or Title, even if was created after that time period, is highly likely to be this as well, as Either/Or Title was a commonly used trope in such 18th- and 19th-century titles, and its usage these days is often an element of a deliberate throwback to such titles. Japanese Light Novels employ this for the same reason today; many originated as web novels on a Japanese publishing website called Shōsetsuka ni Narō, and in order to stand out from the deluge of new titles being published every day, authors enticed fickle readers by explaining exactly what the gimmick of their series is at the earliest opportunity.
The diametric opposite of One-Word Title (even when it is a word like Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious) and No Title. See Try to Fit THAT on a Business Card! and Overly Long Name for when this applies to characters. Speaking of characters, Multi-Character Title has some overlap with this when there's enough of them and/or they use full names in the title. See also Colon: Cancer.
Not to be confused with Long Titles vs. Short Titles and Short Titles.
Examples of long titles that reside on their own pages and can be reached via the following links:
- Anime/Manga: Or, Televisual performances produced in the State of Japan, with considerably differing scope, visual style and manner of subject from animated production originating in the Western worlds, despite sharing a common means of conveyance
- Film: Or, A most intriguing series of celluloid photographs, documenting a theatrical work for all posterity, projected upon a silvered screen in a grand auditorium by means of a powerful beam of light
- Live-Action Television: Or, Televisual productions created through the orchestrated performance of living actors rather than by means of flashing pictures or other such deceptions
- Literature: Or, Written manuscripts, often from a bygone time when the usage of In Which A Trope Is Described was more common or dealing with technical subjects that must be stated precisely
- Music: Or, Sonorous melodies crafted by the manipulation of specially produced instruments, often accompanied by lyrics, which in the past were delivered exclusively by means of on-site performance, but which were later recorded and delivered to the mainstream public as a groove in a wax-coated cylinder
- Video Games: Or, Calculating-machine entertainment whereby the audience through manipulation of articulating levers and buttons may participate in a pseudo-holographic (although subject to change) performance and regulate the transpiration of events, as by a character within
- Western Animation: Or, Televisual performances produced throughout the Occident, mostly in the United States of America, made possible through the rapid display of slightly differing artistic renderings to create the illusion of movement
An incomplete but ever-expanding listing of instances where this title trope has been applied in various media, as relentlessly compiled by The Contributors to TV Tropes:
- Some of Salvador Dalí's paintings have ridiculously specific (but precisely accurate) titles: Apparition of a Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach, Face of Mae West Which May Be Used as an Apartment, Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire, Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea Which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln, One Second Before Awakening from a Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate...
- An artwork by Marcel Duchamp: The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (in the original French, La mariée mise à nu par ses célibataires, même). It's most often called "The Large Glass" ("Le Grand Verre").
- Rembrandt van Rijn's renowned Multi-Character Title: The Shooting Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch Preparing to March Out. But you probably know it as The Night Watch.
- J.M.W. Turner painted in 1840 "Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhon Coming On)". It's better known now as simply "The Slave Ship". At the time, Punch Magazine lampooned the title with one of their own: "A Typhoon, Bursting A Simmoon, Over A Whirlpool Maelstrom, Norway, A Ship on Fire, An Eclipse, With the Effect of a Lunar Rainbow".
- Jan van Huysum's "Arcadian Landscape with Saints Peter and John Healing the Lame Man".
- Herman van Vollenhoven's "The Painter in His Studio Painting the Portrait of a Married Couple".
- Joseph Wright of Derby's painting A Philosopher giving a Lecture on the Orrery in which a lamp is put in place of the Sun.
- Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf: Some of the film titles, particularly if they have the name of the series added at the beginning.
- Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf - Desert Trek: The Adventure of the Lost Totemnote
- Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf - Moon Castle: The Space Adventure
- Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf - Mission Incredible: Adventures on the Dragon's Trail
- Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf - The Mythical Ark: Adventures in Love & Happiness
- The comedy troupe The Firesign Theater has a couple of albums with comically-long titles, including How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All, and Don't Crush that Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers.
- The Grievous Journey of Ichabod Azrael (And The Dead Left In His Wake)
- The second volume of James Stokoe's comedy Sci-fi series called Wonton Soup 2: Hyper Wonton Soup 2 Twoton soup: The Quickening 2 ... Soup.
- Action Comics issue 775 has the Superman story "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?".
- One Calvin and Hobbes album is titled Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons.
- Big Trouble in Little China, full title Big Trouble in Little China: the Continuing Adventures of Jack Burton and the Pork Chop Express.
- How to Mix Drinks: Or, The Bon-vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States, Together with the Most Popular British, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish Recipes, Embracing Punches, Juleps, Cobblers, Etc., Etc., Etc., in Endless Variety by Jerry Thomas, the first manual on how to make cocktails—including the Blue Blazer, the first Flaming Cocktail.
- The first truly American cookbook (i.e., containing original American recipes, in contrast to earlier cookbooks which, though published in the United States, were either reprints or adapted versions of European cookbooks), published in 1796, was titled American Cookery, or the Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry, and Vegetables, and the Best Modes of Making Pastes, Puffs, Pies, Tarts, Puddings, Custards, and Preserves, and All Kinds of Cakes, from the Imperial Plumb to Plain Cake. Adapted to This Country, and All Grades of Life. By Amelia Simmons, An American Orphan.
- "The Practical Distiller: or an introduction to making Whiskey, Gin, Brandy, Spirits, &c. &c. of better quality, and in larger quantities, than produced by the present mode of distilling, from the produce of the United States: such as Rye, Corn, Buckwheat, Apples, Peaches, Potatoes, Pumpions[sic] and Turnips. With directions how to conduct and improve the practical part of distilling in all its branches. Together with directions for purifying, clearing and colouring Whiskey, making Spirits similar to French Brandy, &c. from the Spirits of Rye, Corn, Apples, Potatoes &c. &c. and sundry extracts of approved receipts for making Cider, domestic Wines, and Beer." By Samuel Mc Harry, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania (1809) is notable for not only being immensely long, but also including '&c.' (etc.) in its title. Meaning it is in some ways an abbreviation.
- A Kindle-published title; Coffee Beans: How to buy coffee beans and then use the best coffee beans from green coffee beans to gourmet coffee beans including chocolate covered coffee beans. It's a mouthful in more ways than one.
- The Fanny Farmer Cookbook has been continuously in print (with 13 editions and revisions) since being first printed in 1896. The full title of the first edition is The Boston Cooking-School Cookbook by Fannie Merritt Farmer, Principal of the Boston Cooking-School. It wasn't until the 1965 edition that the title was officially shortened to "The Fannie Farmer Cookbook".
In General:
- The fanfic title template Five Times [Character X] [verb phrase, most likely involving romance with Character Y] (And One Time (S)he Didn't). Depending on the verb phrase, of course, some may be lengthier than others.
Subpages:
By Other Works:
- Amber Night and the Curse of the Diabolical Pastry Thief. Bonus points if you count the Maximum Grammar Overdrive Edition.
- Battle Action Harem Highschool Side Character Quest (No SV, you are the Waifu). Even without the parentheses, it's still seven words. It's commonly referred to as BAHHSCQ pronounced Basque.
- Better Living Through Science and Ponies. Shortened to Better Living on DeviantArt, since there is a character limit for titles.
- Chaos Theory in Vortex Orbits in Relative Dimensions in Time and Space
, a Doctor Who Kid Fic by earlgreytea68
.
- In Merlin Works in Mysterious Ways
Hermione is writing a book called The History of the Dark Arts: A Comprehensive Guide to the Origins and Usage of Dark Magic from Roman Times to the Present.
- Night of the Vent: A Tale of Weirdness definitely qualifies for this. The author simply refers to it as "Notvatow".
- This Bones fic, The Role of the Peloponnesian War in Modern Dating Rituals (or how Temperance Brennan kissed a warrior)
. Also doubles as an Either/Or Title.
- In The Second String
Harry's History of Magic tutor shows up for the first lesson with a book called The History of the International Confederation of Wizards: The Whole Truth, Including What the Bastards in Power Don't Want You to Know.
- Chapter 20 of The SweetieMash Chronicles
: "Only Dig for Valuable Minerals During the Day". Which is a long way of saying Don't Mine at Night
. (And yes, Sweetie and Button do play Minecraft in this chapter.)
- Turnabout Storm has an in-universe example with Twilight's summoning Spell Book: Super Spectacular Stupendous Spontaneous Summoning Scripture Signals and You.
- The full name of The Unfantastic Adventures of Bizarro No. 1 is "The Unfantastic, Credible, Unastonishing, and Unreally Cool Adventures of Bizarro No. 1 (And Friends)"
- Ultraman Moedari has several, mostly related to Father Leo and SAVIOR.
- There's SAVIOR's minus energy experiments:
Minus Energy Super Fusion Light Creating Partical Bending Shape Shifting Substance
- But the Seventh Magniverse' full name takes the cake:
Septimus Ultimus et In Terrore Magno Terrore Custos Nominibus Quae Creata Sunt Ab Ultimis Lumen Hic Erit Semper Signati Qui Solvit Quia Est Malum Et Bestia, et Obscurum, Cum Hostis Omnium Prosternet Semper Quae Plurimae Sunt, Intra Saeculum Hoc Loco Usque Ad Tenebras Et Sidera Perituram
- There's SAVIOR's minus energy experiments:
- In With Eyes Wide Open
Harry reads a book called So Youre Having Second Thoughts: How to Back-pedal, Negotiate or Cheat Your Way Out of a Deal.
- In Endless Night
Harry finds a book in the Restricted Section called Dargon the Rather Quick's Guide to Minor Dark Magicks and the Appropriate Mostly Harmless Counter Curses and Spells.
- Two of the fanfics in the For A Diamond Is A Marveled Thing series: "We Coded The Oregon Trail With A Hole Puncher And There's Nothing You Can Do About It" and "Kill Me, And Let Me Lie Here In Facets: The Trial Of Loki v The Planet Terra"
- Oversaturated World has the Alliterative Title Pinkie Pie's Problematically Private Passion's Parental Personages Presented Perpostorously Prior Publishing Previously Paraphrased Preoccupation
- Psychedelic Epiphany Series: Multiple chapters over multiple stories:
- Floral Embrace: The seven words of "The Alignment Of The Self With Destiny"
- Psychadelic: The third chapter ten-words-long title: "The Amusing Meanderings Become Observational Understandings Regarding Inquistive Natural Equines"
.
- Floral Embrace: The seven words of "The Alignment Of The Self With Destiny"
- Domoverse: The story, "A Light In The Dark"
.
- Sunsplit Saga: Due to Idiosyncratic Episode Naming:
- Each story, except for the fourth, has their first chapter's title be someone's yelled line:
- Sunsplit: "WHAT NO ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
- Sunspawned: "OH SWEET CELESTIA YOU'VE GOT TO FIX THIS!"
- Sunshipped: "I-YOU-BU-WHA--WHO THE HAY ARE YOU?!?!"
- Sunsplit: "WHAT NO ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
- Each story, except for the fourth, has their first chapter's title be someone's yelled line:
- Metro: From "Chewing Through The Straps (Part 1)"
: "Chapter 9: We No Longer Really Care If You Have A Nice Day"
Sub-pages:
Individual Works
- Ore No Imouto Ga Konna Ni Kawaii Wake Ga Nai ("There's No Way My Little Sister Can Be This Cute") is said to have started the trend of long light novel titles.
- Moshi Kōkō Yakyū no Joshi Manager ga Dorakkā no "Management" o Yondara ("What if the Female Manager of a High School Baseball Team Read Drucker's Management?") aka Moshidora - the title card for the anime and the cover of the novel both write the title so that it splits into two lines with "Moshi" and "Dora" at the beginning of each, thus the abbreviation. The anime title card highlights this.
- Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru, or Caught In the Carnage Between My Girlfriend and My Childhood Friend.
- Onii Chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai Yo Ne, or He's my brother, but as long as we're in love it shouldn't matter. So long, Funimation shortened it to OniAi.
- Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?, or The Problem Children Come from Another World? (Officially translated as the much longer Problem Children are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?)
- Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, as well as the the original title Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai, or Regardless of my adolescent delusions, I want a date!.
- Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, or I Don't Have Many Friends.
- Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Come o Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru, or My Mental Multiple-Choice Power Is Completely Ruining My School Romantic Comedy.
- Yuusha Ni Narenakatta Ore Wa Shibushibu Shuushoku O Ketsui Shimashita, or I Couldnt Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job.
- Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru, or My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong, as I Expected. (shortened to My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFUnote when brought overseas (but only for the anime))
- Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?. That's the localized title, but the Japanese Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka? is even longer. The author originally wanted to call it the much shorter Familia Myth, but their editor insisted they go with a longer one. It's especially silly because the protagonist never attempts to do what the title describes. Spinoffs extend the title further, such as Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria and Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle: Episode Lyu.
- Light Novel author Kazuma Kamachi had normal-length titles for his works until around 2014, but since then has had quite a streak with this.
- He was asked to write a Massive Multiplayer Crossover of all his works for the tenth anniversary of A Certain Magical Index. Naturally, he called it "The Circumstances Leading to A Certain Magical Heavy Zashiki Warashis Simple Killer Princess's Marriage''.
- The same author's next work is Saikyō wo Kojiraseta Level Kansuto Kenseijo Beatrice no Jyakuten, or The Weakness Of Beatrice The Level Cap Holy Swordswoman That Made Being the Strongest Even More Trouble
- The next one after that is even longer, being directly translated as My Vampire Older Sister and Zombie Little Sister Have Gotten Into a Pretty Serious Fight Only in Virtual Reality Though, to the point where it was cut down in the English version to just My Vampire Older Sister and Zombie Little Sister.
- Ore ga Ojousama Gakkou ni "Shomin Sample" Toshite Rachirareta Ken?. The blue link is only in the middle because the full title managed to break TV Tropes.
- Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku O! (この素晴らしい世界に祝福を!, Gifting the Wonderful World with Blessings!)
- Re:Zero is pretty short, but its full name is a bit wordy, being Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (Re: Starting Life in Another World from Zero)
- For the record, the Light Novel with one of the longest titles ever published (the longest one published in 2014) is romanized as: Danshi Kōkōsei de Urekko Raito Noberu Sakka o Shi te Iru Keredo, Toshishita no Kurasumeito de Seiyū no Onnanoko ni Kubi o Shimerare te Iru. Which, while never translated and published in a western language, roughly means "I'm A High School Boy and a Successful Light Novel Author, But I'm Being Strangled By A Female Classmate Who's A Voice Actress And Is Younger Than Me"
- Ore ga Heroine wo Tasukesugite Sekai ga Little Mokushiroku, known in English as "I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse".
- Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?
- The Hero And His Elf Bride Open A Pizza Parlor In Another World
- A light novel to be localized by Yen Press is called I am Behemoth of the S-Rank, But I am Mistaken as a Cat and I Live as a Pet of Elf Girl.
- I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. The English title is a whole 12 words long, if you write "Three Hundred" numerically. The English title is already shortened; a literal translation from the Japanese would have "Without Knowing It" added to the end.
- The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life
- An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride
- Campfire Cooking In Another World With My Absurd Skill (not to be confused with the much more succinct Cooking With Wild Game)
- Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?
- The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) or Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu ~Sou da, Baikoku Shiyou~ is long even if the treason part of the title is omitted.
- The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn As A Typical Nobody
- If Its for My Daughter, Id Even Defeat a Demon Lord
- Imouto ni Fianse wo Yuzure to Iwaremashita whose full title is Imouto ni Fianse wo Yuzure to Iwaremashita, Saikyou no Ryuu ni Kiniirarete Masakano Okoku Nottori.
- My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
- Reborn As A Vending Machine I Now Wander The Dungeon
- The full title of Sexiled is actually Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out So I Teamed Up With A Mythical Sorceress!
- There Was No Secret Evil Fighting Organization Srsly So I Made One MYSELF
- The White Cats Revenge As Plotted From The Dragon Kings Lap
- Woof Woof Story I Told You To Turn Me Into A Pampered Pooch Not Fenrir!
- Canadian light novel author Alex Zandra Van Chestein does this intentionally for her works. For example, this series of tweets
shows a developing work being renamed from "Plant Lamp" to "I Accidentally Bought A Plant Lamp To Treat My Winter Depression And Now I've Taken Root In My Apartment?"
- The Misfit of Demon King Academy has a suitably long title, paired with an even longer subtitle: Maō Gakuin no Futekigōsha ~Shijō Saikyō no Maō no Shiso, Tensei Shite Shison-tachi no Gakkō e Kayou~
- Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World
- Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town
- Dokkoida?!: That's the USA title. Originally, Sumeba Miyako no Cosmos-sou Suttoko Taisen Dokkoida (translation: Living in the Cosmos House, Foolish Dokkoida's Great Battle).
- SMG4's Mario Bloopers: One episode has a (shortly) long title, called "SMG3's Plan to Destroy SMG4 Cause He Felt Like It", as well as being described as the 'best title ever'.
- Half Life: Side Story: Gaiden: HUNT DOWN FREE MAN, as well as its sequel, HALOF LIFE Side Story HUNT DOWN FREE MAN Part More: Moint Pan Is Boss Even I Know!, have very long titles.
- The full name of Bally/Midway's first Pinball Spin-Off for Pac-Man is Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man Pinball. Writing the full name is only slightly less awkward than saying it.
- Capt. Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy, named after the album by Elton John.
- This trope is parodied by Pinball Illusions. The introductory screen for the original Amiga version starts off naming the game "Super Pinball Fantasies Turbo EX II M-Ball Edition," then quickly corrects it to "Pinball Illusions".
- The Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard.
- The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends
- Rob Zombie's Spookshow International
- Al's Garage Band Goes on a World Tour
, created by Alvin G. and Company.
- The Death Dealing Adventures of Maxx Badazz Champion Kickboxer
, also created by Alvin G. and Company. They were fond of pretty long names.
- CHIKARA has held shows with the following titles:
- If the Airplane is Snowed in, Put Your Bloody Skis on and Get Going!
- Retribution Rumble of Revenge and Rumble to Remember
- Beware of Barely Badd Blasts and/or Blood Brawls on the Beach
- The International Invasion of the International Invaders
- Later led to Son of... and Return of the Son of...
- Laying in the Gutter, Looking at the Stars
- The 12/04/2009 show featured what was called a "Memorial Comical WAVE - Lumberjack, Slow Motion, Wild Speed, No Megaphone, No Milk, No Knee, No Elbow Comical Death Match" in the main event.
- The February 2011 Sportiva Entertainment Friday Pro Last Minute Shopping Before Imaike Pro Dayo Zeninshugo!! event.
- DDT Who's Gonna Top? 2013 ~DDT48 General Election Last Polling Day~
- July 19th, 2015. Aka 2CW We Booked This Show Because It Was Literally The Only Available Date For The Young Bucks. (the Bucks being the tag team champions, for context)
- Pro Wrestling ZERO1 held an event called Cho Hanabi Fighting Winter Garden 2015 ~ Barbed Wire Electric Current Blast Bat Death Match.
- Although the actual title is given as Punt and Dennis: It's Been A Bad Week, that comedy current-affairs show is often referred to by the title of its prize - The Worst Week of the Week Award, Awarded Weekly on a Week-by-Week Basis. Which is mentioned at the end of every round.
- One episode of BBC radio comedy The Burkiss Way is usually referred to as "Lesson 45: Write Extremely Long Titles The Burkiss Way". The full title, given in the Radio Times, was "Lesson 45: Write Extremely Long Titles With Lots And Lots Of Words In, Like This, So That The Radio Times Will Have To Allot More Space Than The Measly Half A Centimetre Of Billing Space We Usually Get And At Least It'll Look A Bit More Prominent On The Page, Although Still Nowhere Near The 50 Column Inches They Give To The Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy The Burkiss Way".
- One episode of Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation is usually referred to as "How to be Better". The full title is "How to be Better Theologically, Socially, Nationally and in Terms of One's Own Personal Development, Responsibility and Interaction with the Fellow Humans with Whom We Share this Fragile Planet, and Ting".
- The grand-daddy of miniature wargaming, H. G. Wells's Little Wars: a game for boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books..
- In 2004, Wizards of the Coast released a satirical Magic: The Gathering expansion called Unhinged that included the card
: Our Market Research Shows That Players Like Really Long Card Names So We Made This Card to Have the Absolute Longest Card Name Ever Elemental, or OMRSTPLRLCNSWMTCTHTALCNEE for short.
- A couple of cards have flavour text attributed to Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar, the Underworld Cookbook.
- Though the Magic card mentioned above is part of a Humor expansion, the Mythos CCG had a card called "The Thirty-Five Abominable Adulations of the Bloated One". Since Mythos referred to the Cthulhu Mythos, long names seem appropriate.
- Advanced Dimensional Green Ninja-Educational Preparatory Super-Elementary Fortress 555 is an RPG by Windmill Games where you play a bunch of superpowered elementary school students at the school of the same name.
- The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade. In the original German, Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade, is a bit shorter. It's a play and a film, and it's pretty much Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
- Publicists and playbill designers shortened this to Marat/Sade.
- Perhaps not so long as most of these but still worthy of mention: The tragical history of the damned life and deserved death of Doctor Johanus Faustus.
- And the one man show telling the same story, "An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus on This His Final Evening".
- Arthur Kopit's Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad.
- Most of William Shakespeare's works had really long titles in folio, octavo and quarto editions, which summarised most of the plot (and often ruined the ending).
- The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, Containing his Death: and the Coronation of King Henry the Fift. [sic] (Henry IV Part Two)
- The First part of the Contention betwixt the two famous houses of Yorke and Lancaster, with the death of the good Duke Humphrey, And the banishment and death of the Duke of Suffolke, and the Tragicall end of the proud Cardinal of VVinchester, vvith the notable rebellion of Iacke Cade, And the Duke of Yorkes first claim vnto the Crowne. (Henry VI Part Two)
- The True Tragedie of Richard Duke of Yorke, and the death of good King Henrie the Sixth, with the Whole Contention betweene the two Houses Lancaster and Yorke; it was the earliest printed version of Henry VI Part 3.
- The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel, which was also made into a movie. The play's title comes from the title of the protagonist's Science Fair project.
- The History of Two Valiant Knights, Sir Clyomon Knight of the Golden Shield, Son to the King of Denmark, and Clamydes the White Knight, Son to the King of Suavia, a romantic comedy produced in London by the King's Men in 1577.
- for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange (1974).
- Not as long as others on here, but A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is still a mouthful.
- Just about any of the Farndale Avenue plays; a stand-out is They Came From Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church Hall in Time for the Townswomens Guilds Coffee Morning.
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, whose title song only includes the first three words.
- Jackie Sibblies Drury's (deep breath) We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915.
- Road House: The Stage Version Of The Cinema Classic That Starred Patrick Swayze, Except This One Stars Taimak From The 80s Cult Classic "The Last Dragon" Wearing A Blonde Mullet Wig.
- Comus: The full title is actually A Mask presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: on Michelmas night, before the Rt Hon. Iohn Earl of Bridgewater, Viscount Brackly, Lord President of Wales, and one of His Maiesties most honorable privie councill (spelling is correct), but is more commonly called by the One-Word Title.
- Jerker, or The Helping Hand: A Pornographic Elegy with Redeeming Social Value and a Hymn to the Queer Men of San Francisco in Twenty Telephone Calls, Many of Them Dirty commonly referred to just as Jerker.
- At the Disney Theme Parks:
- The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents Aloha e Komo Mai
- For The First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
- At Universal Studios:
- The Gory, Gruesome and Grotesque Horror Make-Up Show
- Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
- The High-In-The-Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride note
- Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon
- Universal's Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories
- Most installments in the Ace Attorney series fall under this out of necessity. The first game was titled Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney under the assumption that the series as a whole would be titled Phoenix Wright with the subtitle changing between games. When it became clear that Phoenix wouldn't be the main protagonist of the fourth game, the series was rebranded as Ace Attorney, which was originally the subtitle of the first game. Since then, the games have been titled in the format [Protagonist Name]: Ace Attorney: [Subtitle], e.g. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All. Due to this length, each individual installment is usually referred to by its subtitle (or supertitle if there is no subtitle) or its initials. For instance, T&T refers to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations.
- Christine Love has done this:
- don't take it personally babe, it just ain't your story
- Ladykiller in a Bind was originally titled My Twin Brother Made Me Crossdress As Him And Now I Have To Deal With A Geeky Stalker And A Domme Beauty Who Want Me In A Bind!! during development.
- The Japanese title of the sixth chapter of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc translates to "The Reason Super High School Level Bad Luck Enticed Super High School Level Murder and Super High School Level Execution and Super High School Level Despair". The English localisation shorts it to the somewhat more digestible "Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death".
- A Beginner's Guide to the End of the Universe
- Chimneyspeak: for the attention of: Bludgers, Cracksmen, Nobblers, Dippers, Skippers, Lushingtons, Flimps, Duffers and Coopered Ladybirds; courtesy of the gentleman Jack Cayless. At least, according to the logo.
- Parodied in one strip
of Ennui GO! where Noah talks about his annoyance with this trend in manga, mentioning one whose name is the entire plot synopsis (including spoilers) which was so long that "they had to print the book extra-long to fit it all on there." Full Title (NSFW)
- Even in the Deepest Heart of Chaos... A Glimmer of Order Can Be Found
- In El Goonish Shive, some of the early
filler
comics
had these. Also a few
story comics
as well. These are usually played for laughs but at least one
was played for drama.
- Gunnerkrigg Court, Chapter 10: "Doctor Disaster Versus the Creepy Space Aliens from Outer Space". So long the recap page's URL uses the short form, "Doctor Disaster", instead of the full title.
- Heroes Inc.
"#0420 - Hey man? You ever think that the universe is just like, one atom of some even bigger universe we can't even imagine? Woah... My hands can touch anything but themselves..." uses this to comedic effect, referencing the page's numerical identifier, and its significance to drug culture.
- A troll in Homestuck explains that in his planet, billions of years in the future, every short title has been used up, and so the titles are more descriptive.
CG: WHEREIN NUMEROUS VIGILANTES CONFRONT PERIL; ONE OF THEM BETRAYS THE OTHERS; (BUT IT TURNS OUT TO BE PART OF THE PLAN ALL ALONG);
CG: SEVERAL ATTRACTIVE FEMALE LEADS PROVOKE ROMANTIC TENSION; FOUR MAJOR CHARACTERS WEAR UNUSUAL HATS; ONE HOLDS PLOT-CRITICAL SECRET;
CG: 47 ON-SCREEN EXPLOSIONS, ONE RESULTING IN DEMISE OF KEY-ADVERSARY; 6 to 20 LINES THAT COULD BE CONSTRUED AS HUMOROUS;
EB: wait...
EB: this is the title?
CG: IT GOES ON.- When you finally get a look on carcinoGeneticist's/Karkat Vantas room, you can see the associated movie posters.
- The Incredible and Awe-Inspiring Serial Adventures of the Amazing Plasma-Man
- I Was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space
- The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal
- The Pokémon webcomic POKETTO MONSUTAA SPECIAL SUPER EX ADVENTURE XXXVX THE CHRONICLES OF RED BLUE GREEN AND A BUNCH OF OTHER KIDS WITH COLORS FOR NAMES
; doubly so for negecting punctuation and being written in all-caps.
- And what number, exactly, is "XXXVX"?
- Prequel -or- Making A Cat Cry: The Adventure, The Adventures Of Katia Managan.
- In Sinfest, The Greatest, Most Amazing, Mind-blowingly Spectacular Work of Epic Literature Conceived in the History of Man. Ever.
- Smashing Pumpkins into Small Piles of Putrid Debris
- AcousticBrony
named his first album "The Relatively Small Horse That I Own, I Used to Inquire What the Relationship Between People Who Are Close Might Be Until Everybody Gave Me a Piece of the Sorcery That It Is".
- Games modified by Games Repainted often have their titles extended by cramming in as many words as possible to create Word Salad Titles, such as "Knuckles' World War II Simulator Advance 4 and Donkey Kong - Welcome amiibo: Wario Gets Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer Version 1.13", "Coldsteel and Knox 3D Melee: The Ballad of Ken Penders (Featuring Peridot from the Steven May Cry Series)", and "Shin Megami Tensei X Donkey Count Kongry: Puella Magi Solid Snake vs. THE iDOLM@STER & Knuckles".
- The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon. Also an example of Gory Deadly Overkill Title of Fatal Death.
- The Little Girl Who Was Forgotten By Absolutely Everyone (Even The Postman)
. Also known as The Little Girl Whose Story Has An Incredibly Long Title Because the Author Thought It Would Be Funny Until She Had To Type It Everywhere.
- Mark Reads Twilight gives us this: I Am Going To Do Something Spectacular And Clearly Attention-Grabbing In Front Of Plenty Of People, Yet No One Is Going To Notice Except (Conveniently) The Main Character Phenomenon. He shorted it to the IAGTDSSACAGIFOPOP,YNOIGTNE(C)TMC Phenomenon when referring to it later. This is referring to the scene where Edward stops the van with his bare hands, yet nobody in the "sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock" noticed this from Chapter 3 of the first book.
- No Matter What Happens, I Still Won't Become An Anime Character is quite the mouthful, however, its episode titles are quite short as they're all variations of Day X.
- In ReZonance Soundtrack Reviews, the host supposedly was going to name his Top 7 Pavlov games list and his Top 14 games with scary sounds list Top 7 List of sound effects or jingles that get me In the mood to play those certain games & Top 14 games that aren't horror games but have horror elements that are scary mostly because of the music or sound effects but aren't intended that way, respectfully.
- Rhett & Link do it from time to time.
- YouTube Poops tend to feature these kinds of titles, combined with either an Intentionally Awkward Title or Word Salad Title (for instance Krobo's Voluptuous Cooking Program or The Grinch Excites Himself Onto A Christmas Tree). For instance, ones by avojaifnot
often use this. Examples include:
- AVOJAIFNOT GETS EVISCERATED FOR MAKING THE MOST SACRILEGIOUS YOUTUBE POOP IN EXISTENCE
- miss vitani pacman is exiled for eating nested sequence overloads
- THE GRUMPY GILLS FAMILY EATS AT THE RESTAURANT OF THE INCREDIBLY STACKBABBING COLOR CURVY PHASERS
- Zira Throws Pride Rock Into A Black Hole And Exiles The Entire Universe
- The Carpenter Builds A Playhouse For His Dog Through Extreme Sexual Trauma
- Chester A Bum Collides With The Fortunate Heavenly Body of Otakuwoman
- AVOJAIFNOT GETS EVISCERATED FOR MAKING THE MOST SACRILEGIOUS YOUTUBE POOP IN EXISTENCE
- Rooster Teeth: For their panel at South by Southwest, Gus and Burnie worked together to come up with the longest title possible. They settled on "Alternative Careers in Gaming: The Science of Play Redefined by Art via Content Creating in the Ongoing & Evolving Paradigm of Post-Network Media Environment. What Does it Mean to You? (featuring Rooster Teeth)"
- The Day the Music Died (and I Got Farked)
- The Spiffing Brit: Most of his videos, technically, starting from the first, at 10 words long, "Hearts Of Iron 4 Timelapse Albania world civil war"
. But given that it's a Video Games-based YouTube channel, the game name is usually in the title, and then more specific information is appended, so it's effectively guaranteed to be the length of two titles combined.
- Mitten Squad: Most of his videos, technically, starting from the first, at 9 words long, "Let's Play Minecraft: Part 1 - Drowning is a Bitch"
. But given that it's partially a YouTube Let's Players channel, Idiosyncratic Episode Naming creates long names by being "Let's Play [Game Name]: Part [Number] - [Part Title]", even with One-Word Title for the game and part names, it's guaranteed to be at least 6 words long.
- The 30 Second Bunnies Theatre
- Numberphile: The video, "998,001 and its Mysterious Recurring Decimals"
.
- Although it's only mentioned on the "about
" page, David Chess's blog
is titled The Curvature of the Earth Is Overwhelmed by Local Noise.
- A blog post at [1]
has a new version of the bible called "New and Revised Standard Edition Version 13.75 for angsty and rebellious emo faggots who have nothing better to do than blindly take shots at things that they're too stupid to understand and too anal-retentive to actually notice the point of the message." or the NRSEv13.75fAaREFwhNBtdtBTSaTtttStUatA-RtANtPotM for short.
- The instruction manual for the Kymera Remote Control Wand
, which admittedly looks and performs like a real magic wand, and thus has this thematically-inspired reference.
- For a time during the 19th century, The Economist's full title was The Economist, Weekly Commercial Times, Bankers' Gazette, and Railway Monitor. A Political, Literary and General Newspaper.
- Many scientific articles have long and highly-detailed titles to ensure that peers parsing the articles and later archives can locate relevant material easily.
- This is especially true for articles dealing with focused case studies where the specific details of the case can increase title length greatly. For example: "Cluster randomized controlled trial of a psycho-educational intervention for people with a family history of depression for use in general practice".
- There are many quite charming ones from the 19th century. "Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, during the years 184346; emplyed surverying the islands of the Eastern Archipelago; accompanied by a brief vocabulary of the prinicipal languages With notes on the natural history of the islands by Arthur Adams." and "Narrative of the surveying voyage of H.M.S. Fly, commanded by Captain F.P. Blackwood, R.N. in Torres Strait, New Guinea, and other Islands of the Eastern Archipelago, during the years 1842-1846: together with an excursion into the interior of the eastern part of Java.". Riveting stuff.