12 replies to this topic

[Mr Twilight]

Not that I have read through all the threads and articles about DMC but do Faulks somewhere say if the title is his idea or IFP's or someone elses? Did he have some optional titles for the book? What does the title really means? You see, I read the swedish edition so the title doesn't ring any bells for me, because the the title for the swedish edition translated back to english is In the devils service/In the service of the devil (I djävulens tjänst)

[MkB]

Here's a definition of "Devil-may-care" (it's an idiom, not to be translated literally):
http://www.thefreedi.../devil-may-care
http://idioms.thefre.../devil-may-care

It suits Bond well in a way, IMO, and I like it as a title.
But I stil haven't read DMC for the moment, except some extracts, so I'm not sure how it fits with the story.

[Righty007]

I was wondering the same the thing.

EDIT: I know that it's an idiom but I don't know how it relates to the novel.

Edited by Righty007, 06 July 2008 - 09:36 PM.

[zencat]

I'd love to know how the title came about.

[tdalton]

I'd love to know how the title came about.

As would I. It's a great title, but I didn't come across anything in the novel that really seemed to tie into it in any way.

[[dark]]

Is the title even mentioned in the novel? I may have missed it, but I doubt it.

[tdalton]

Is the title even mentioned in the novel? I may have missed it, but I doubt it.

I don't believe that it is. I may be mistaken as well, but I certainly don't recall anything related to the title in the novel.

[Single-O-Seven]

The title wasn't mentioned. I'm guessing it isn't meant to emphasize any particular theme in the book's plotting but has more to do with conceptions of Bond's attitude toward life and his willingness to face death head-on.

[spynovelfan]

It's not mentioned in the novel. My guess is that it was meant to be a title that said 'Bond is back: larger than life, the old devil-may-care hero of Fleming's original novels.' It's an idiomatic expression, but it is also rather an old-fashioned one, and brings to mind (for me anyway) British thrillers of the 30s-50s. The only way they tried to reference it more directly was on the front flyleaf, where there's something in the blurb about Bond battling a man who would dance with the devil himself.

[Skudor]

It's not mentioned in the novel. My guess is that it was meant to be a title that said 'Bond is back: larger than life, the old devil-may-care hero of Fleming's original novels.' It's an idiomatic expression, but it is also rather an old-fashioned one, and brings to mind (for me anyway) British thrillers of the 30s-50s. The only way they tried to reference it more directly was on the front flyleaf, where there's something in the blurb about Bond battling a man who would dance with the devil himself.

Wasn't it somehow in the novel? Not the full expression, but some version of it?

I like the title, but I wish they had somehow twisted it like Fleming used to do.

[Greene Planet]

I didn't like the title. Didn't suit Fleming's other titles.

[MicroGlobeOne]

Wasn't it somehow in the novel? Not the full expression, but some version of it?

I seem to recall it popping up at least once or twice in the narrative, perhaps as a commentary on certain characters, but I'm sure I wouldn't be able to find the references now. If memory serves, they were rather casual, throwaway lines. There's certainly no effort made to expound on the title's significance or its connection to the novel's themes. It has a certain ring to it, but I would have rather seen a more meaningful selection.

[zencat]

I sometimes wonder if Faulks intended title was "Destiny" or something related to the idea of destiny. Destiny come up again and again in the book in a way that feels a little forced (as if it's trying to tie into a title).