Favorite chapter titles in Diana Gabaldon's books
Some of them stand out on re-reading because you know the chapter contains a wonderful scene. "The First Law of Thermodynamics", from DRUMS, 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), and "Brought to You By the Letters Q, E, and D", from MOHB (which is a reference to Sesame Street).
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 looked 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. I also like "Squid of the Evening, Beautiful Squid", from MOHB.
I love the titles that expand my vocabulary, even if I find them baffling on the first reading. "Oenomancy" (divination by wine), from ECHO, made no sense at all to me until I read the chapter. Ditto for "Amplexus", in SCOTTISH PRISONER. And "Absquatulation", from ABOSAA, is a cool word, that I hadn't encountered before I read that book. <g> For that matter, so is "Amphisbaena", from MOHB.
What about the rest of you? Do you have a favorite chapter title or two? And what is it that makes them so memorable?
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