ABSTRACT
Poem titles can have many different functions. They can, for example, give a summary of what the poem will be about, they can describe the occasion or communicative setting, or they can announce the form of the poem. Titles raise expectations and guide a reader’s experience of the poem itself. This is particularly intriguing when ambiguity comes into play, for example, with titles which are at first glance ambiguous and are then disambiguated by the poem, or with titles whose ambiguity is taken up or even added to by the poem. An example of the latter case is George Herbert’s “The Collar” from his collection of poems The Temple. As “[t]he part of a garment which encircles the neck, or forms the upper border near the neck” (OED “collar, n.” I.1.), the word “collar” carries a relatively neutral meaning. But the poem quickly takes up another meaning of the word “collar,” namely, that of “[a] band of iron or other metal fixed round the neck of prisoners, worn as a badge of servitude, etc.” (OED “collar, n.” I.5.a.). The poem also evokes a pun on the words “collar” and “choler.” Thus, the title contains several layers of meaning which primes readers to see them unfold and interconnect in the poem. This suggests that poem titles can be an integral part of a poem’s economy of representation. Taking George Herbert’s poems from The Temple as a starting point, we will explore how ambiguous titles contribute and are linked to different layers of meaning in poetry.
