Favorite chapter titles
What are some of your favorite chapter titles from Diana Gabaldon's books, and why? What is it about them that makes some titles especially noteworthy?
Some of them stand out on re-reading because you know the chapter contains a wonderful scene. "The First Law of Thermodynamics", from DRUMS OF AUTUMN, or "Hearthfire", from FIERY CROSS, for example. Just seeing those chapter titles can put me in a good mood, knowing what's coming. <g>
Some of them are allusions to 20th-century pop culture. "Strangers in the Night" from FIERY CROSS, for example; I always get the Sinatra song stuck in my head for days after I listen to that chapter. <g> Also "Bottom of the Ninth", from DRUMS (the chapter where Jemmy is born).
Some send chills of foreboding up my spine just seeing the title. "Timor Mortis Conturbat Me", from DRAGONFLY, always has that effect on me, especially since I thought to look up the translation of the Latin phrase. <shudder>
Some are just funny, or unexpected plays on words. "Three-Thirds of a Goat", from FIERY CROSS, with the reference to the "ghost" chapter titles in DRUMS, always makes me smile.
And some are baffling, unless viewed in context. "Oenomancy" (divination by wine), from ECHO, made no sense at all to me until I read the chapter. Ditto for "Amplexus", in SCOTTISH PRISONER.
What about the rest of you? Do you have a favorite chapter title or two? And what is it that makes them so memorable? (Please note: let's leave the chapter titles from WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART'S BLOOD out of this discussion, since not everyone wants to see them ahead of time.)
brian.bethune@macleans.rogers.com