"Titology", a term first coined in 1977 by literary critic Harry Levin, is the field of literary studies that focuses on the significance of a title in establishing the thematic developments of
the pages that follow. Though Maiorino acknowledges that many titles are superficial and "indexical," there exists a separate and more complex class of titles that do much more than simply
decorate a book's spine
To prove this argument, Maiorino analyzes a wide range of examples from the modern era through high modernism to postmodernism, with writings spanning the globe from Spain and France to Germany
and America. By examining works such as Essais, The Waste Land, Ulysses, and Don Quixote, First Pages proves the power of the title to connect the reader to the thematic, cultural, and literary
context of the writing as a whole. Much like a facade to a building, the title page serves as the frontispiece of literature, a sign that offers perspective and demands interpretation.
