Authors often go through several working titles before settling on one. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (Bookshop|Amazon) was originally Trimalchio in West Egg, Trimalchio being an ostentatious nouveau riche character in an ancient Roman work. The title for Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind (Bookshop|Amazon) also went through iterations that included Milestones, Tote the Weary Load, Not in Our Stars, Bugle Sang True, and Tomorrow is Another Day. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Working Titles for The Great Gatsby and Gone with the Wind”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.
I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette.
When it comes to books, the right title can make all the difference, but choosing that title can be a real challenge, so I’m always curious about that process and especially why a working title gets tossed away and replaced.
For example, what about the working title Trimalchio in West Egg.
Is that I don’t know what that is.
Is that Tristam Sh Shandy?
I don’t know what that would be.
Oh it’s a F Scott Fitzgerald.
Yeah.
There we go.
The w the West Egg was the giveaway.
You got it.
Yeah.
Tremalchio was a character in an ancient Roman work.
It was this ostentatious nouveau reche guy.
And but yeah, I think Tremalchio in West Egg is a dud.
So yeah, so then better title is The Great Gatsby.
Exactly.
And in one other case, there was an author who had a really hard time making up her mind.
Here are some of her working titles Milestones, Tote the Weary Load, Not in Our Stars, Tote, Bugle Sang True, Another Day, and Tomorrow is Another Day.
Tomorrow is another day.
Is it gone with the wind?
Yes.
Yes.
Nice.
That’s very good.
You know, Martha and I read a lot, and we read a lot of what you recommend.
So if you want to send us book ideas st,uff, we should put on the bedside table.
We’d be happy to take a peek at it.
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