I’ve noticed that certain literary sources contain phrases that lend themselves to becoming titles of other works. For example, countless books and plays and movies have titles borrowed from either the Bible or Shakespeare.
I’ve gotten into the habit, when I read something that really resonates with me, of examining its component phrases for potential titles. Take, for example, this famous example from the first book of LoTR:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
Where in here is the best potential book title? My first vote would be for “A Light from the Shadows”. Sure enough, two different books have that title.
But I suspect there are other potential titles here. “From the Ashes a Fire” sounds promising. “Shadows Shall Spring” is no good, because it completely loses the intent.
I wonder whether we could give any given literary passage a numerical score, based on how many great possible book titles are hidden therein. And if we did, what passage would score highest?
My bet is on the soliloquy in Act III, Scene I of Hamlet.