Besides the fact that incorporation by reference is usually used for technical purposes rather than for such grandiose purposes as the reinterpretation of foundational texts, there is an oddity to this tactic.
A fourth, with a U-boat lurking in the bushes, is titled "Fitzcarraldo," evoking the grandiose determination of both the 19th-century Peruvian rubber baron Carlos Fitzcarrald, who transported a 30-ton steamboat over a mountainous isthmus for business purposes, and Werner Herzog, who made a back-breaking movie about it.
"The idea is grandiose – a multi-purpose leisure facility springing up in what was very recently one of the most dangerous places on Earth," says Tom Dunmore, editor of stadiumporn.com, a blog which celebrates new stadium designs from around the world.
It begins with a grandiose statement of its purpose: "to make attrition through enforcement the public policy of all state and local government agencies in Arizona".
Beyond espionage, any public figure who combines grandiose ambition, perceived malign purpose and memorable idiosyncrasy will eventually be likened to a "Bond villain".
Ms. Mori's goal of completing site-specific outdoor installations on six continents, overseen by a foundation she established for this purpose, may be grandiose, but it's a kind of grandiosity we don't see often enough from midcareer female artists.
But despite Naipaul's rather grandiose claims about his book's purpose, "A Writer's People" is actually better understood as the chronicle of the young Naipaul's arriving in London and discovering, as he puts it, that "romantic and beautiful though the idea is, there is no such thing as a republic of letters where... all bring their work and all are equal".
As for its purpose, he doesn't have grandiose aspirations; Alsup simply believes it's important to capture moments of Detroit's recent history.
This young company's name may be winkingly grandiose, but it also indicates a genuine seriousness of purpose.
Although the huge novel is sometimes known as "Dream of the Red Chamber," it suited both Mr. Lai's and Mr. August's purposes to make its title sound as grandiose as possible.
