“Two Men in a Furnished Room” is the title of a short story thriller by Cornell Woolrich (aka William Irish, aka George Hopley). It was made into a film the subsequent year under the title The Guilty.
The change is really a shame. I marvel at how much work the word “furnished” accomplishes. Thanks to this word, you almost don’t have to read the story to know its themes, moods, and conflicts. In this context, the “furnished” idea also leads in directions it normally can’t, giving us a sense of claustrophobia, darkness, rivalry, homosexuality, madness and schizophrenia. Even the fact that it is a short story rather than a novel helps make the room a little more crowded.
The title is so good that Woolrich didn’t have to bother writing the story at all. He should have just printed the title and left it at that.
I’ve always been interested in titles, names and headlines. From time to time I’ll post a few favorites.
