Using titles I've read recently:
I think in general, the title should either be informative or it should be poetic (and in a way that meaningfully ties into what the book is about). Some general categories of titles I see:
SHORT AND BLUNT
James Clavell likes using single-word, two-syllable titles:
Shogun
Tai-Pan
Gaijin
They're choppy, aggressive, directly say what it's going to be about.
Aztec by Gary Jennings is a different author, but same concept. Excellent title, it's like he's saying, "this is about Aztecs. It's THE Aztec novel." And then the novel is that, it's comprehensive in scope.
Flatland. Very upfront, very memorable.
Delta-v. Thematically not that great, but it does tie into the point about asteroid mining economizing on fuel, fuel concerns do come up a bit, the book makes a point to call back this phrase from time to time. Most importantly, it's spacey and snappy and it's a space book.
Barkskins. What the fuck are barkskins? Lumberjacks. That's not clear, but it's a memorable name. Interesting name.
Orconomics. Shit book, brilliant name. It cons you into thinking you're getting more of a satire than you really are.
Just being short doesn't automatically make it work that way. Ben-Hur is a decent title, it's short, but it's not informative, you'd have to read the book to know who it's talking about, nor is it poetic. So it's just bland. Similarly, The Bees is informative but kind of generic.
LONG AND POETIC (OR WITTY)
The Pillars of the Earth. Is Biblical and also contains architectural imagery. The phrase, even out of context, has gravitas. It's the perfect title for a novel about cathedral construction.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The title doesn't have a ton of informative content, not even sure what the fear and loathing is (just meant to sound negative since it's "about" the dejection of 1970s counterculture?). But it's very memorable and draws you in, it raises curiosity.
Gone With the Wind. Great title, directly relates to the main theme, uses line from the book.
And Then There Were None. Fits the genre (murder mystery) well, tied into the story, flows off the tongue great. good title.
SHORT AND POETIC
Big Fish. Did not like the book at all, was a chore even for its short length. Did love the Burton movie. Wonderful title, thematically meaningful, sounds interesting. I learned about it specifically because, on Netflix, I saw "BIG FISH" over a man in a carnie outfit.
Measuring the World. Hated the book, love the title. It's about Gauss the mathematician and Humboldt the explorer, and the phrase is wonderful, it conveys this sort of heroic effort.
Corelli's Mandolin. Sounds classy as hell.
"THE" SUCH AND SUCH
"The" titles usually aren't that good. Often they're either blunt without being snappy, or they're vague without drawing one in. For example, "The Peshawar Lancers." Good book. Would I read it if I didn't already know what it was? Fuck no. "The Atlantropa Articles." "The White Bone." "The Leopard." "The Revenant."
The only times I see "The" being used in a good way is when it's something bizarre. THAT'S when "the" is useful. "The Martian." "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" (what the fuck is that?). "The Plague Dogs" (oh no, plague!?1?).
An interesting mix between good and bad is "The Good Shepherd." Sounds lame as hell. But, if you KNOW that it's about merchant marine convoy escorts, it's brilliant, portraying destroyers like shepherds protecting their "flock" from the Wolf-Packs. But if I saw it on a shelf and didn't know what it was I'd stay far away.
OTHERS
Good Rebel Soil is a solid title, it doesn't feel poetic but it has that quality of being evocative. So does "Old Glory."
"A Hell Called Ohio" I bought ENTIRELY on the title, didn't know what it was about. (I returned it, it sucked.)
Similarly, "The Wild Ohio." Something both of those have in common is pairing a thing that sounds mundane and bland (Ohio) with something out there. They're humorous.
GENERAL TAKEAWAYS
If you're writing a thriller or adventure or something of that nature, short and choppy is probably the way to go. The story had better back it up or the title will end up feeling pompous.
If you're writing something else, try to be poetic. Blunt but not snappy is a last resort for if you're not creative.
Never use "the" unless the "the" is going to be followed by something really interesting, that's bottom of the barrel.
