On the use of 'On' or other -- prepositions -- at the start of a title

[Cheetah]

Calling all grammar nazis (and other grammarians)! I have a question:

I've seen several works of art where the title is preceded by 'On', or some other verbs prepositions. Research papers often do this, but there are other examples as well, for instance poems like Lucretius' De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things) [Is that just a translators choice, or does 'De' translate to 'On'?] or Ralegh's On the Life of Man.

I gather that in many (all?) cases the titles could have avoided the 'On' at the beginning, and most modern works (outside academia) seem to avoid this style for some reason.

What are your thoughts around the use of 'On' at the start of titles?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

On is a verb?

 

[Gori the Grey]

On is a preposition.

Yes, it's an old fashioned titling convention. Check out the titles to Bacon's essays. Iliad means [the poem] of Iliam, I believe.

 

[Antilogic]

I don't mind it but I don't do it myself. I tend to read it as "A Paper/Essay/Thingamabopper on XXX" which gets shortened to "On XXX" but that also strikes me as unnecessary. Just call the work "XXX" and let me get on with it. The abstract will make it quite clear what the document is about, whether it's a review, new research, or whatever.

For fiction, poems, or other types of writing, they have all kinds of other reasons to tack it on. Whatevs.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

For fiction, poems, or other types of writing, they have all kinds of other reasons to tack it on. Whatevs.

I personally find that titles that begin with a rounded letter are friendlier, while angular letters are more formal.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Probably couldn't have been omitted from the book about 5 years back , On Bulls***.

 

[Borachio]

On Heat probably wouldn't make much sense without the "On".

(It's about fertility in female doggies, btw.)

Also, On Fire, the autobiography of a fireman, would be lacking something, I think.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Just checked the OED and they do have some regional uses of "on" as a verb.

(Still not how it's being used in the cases you have in mind, Cheetah.)

On Golden Pond. On the Waterfront. Can't always be omitted from titles!

 

[Cheetah]

Right, right. I was tired, and in my mind, verb sounded like preposition. Or something. No idea how I managed such a blunder...

Anyway, so it's nothing more than an old-fashioned convention?

Fair enough. I had hoped there was a more interesting explanation to it, but whatever.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Right, right. I was tired, and in my mind, verb sounded like preposition. Or something. No idea how I managed such a blunder...

Anyway, so it's nothing more than an old-fashioned convention?

Fair enough. I had hoped there was a more interesting explanation to it, but whatever.

Thanks for the replies.

You shouldn't have admitted a blunder. You mentioned grammar nazis in your first post. You could have claimed you intentionally laid it out there as bait and gotten away with it, with a bit of blustering.

 

[Cheetah]

Meh. The next time I'll keep to my story, and since everyone knows I always admit my mistakes, I'll have to be correct by default then!

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Meh. The next time I'll keep to my story, and since everyone knows I always admit my mistakes, I'll have to be correct by default then!

Ah! Running the long game!!!