Next Year’s La Fiesta Titles Are Booked

Sarah Anne Brawner, the Duchess du Grand Trianon, executes her dip during La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas last Saturday. (Photo: Jack White)
Sarah Anne Brawner, the Duchess du Grand Trianon, executes her dip during La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas last Saturday at the Hilton Anatole. (Photo: Jack White)

As we learned last week, the women who run La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas had to come up with 32 duchess titles based on this year’s theme, “Vive la France.” (There were 40 duchesses this year, but eight titles are permanent fixtures: Duchess of the Confederacy, Duchess of France, Duchess of Mexico, Duchess of Spain, Duchess of Texas, Duchess of the United States, Duchess of Highland Park, and Duchess of University Park.)

Considering that La Fiesta’s beneficiaries include the Highland Park Literary Festival and the Highland Park Education Foundation, we’re proposing a literary theme for next year. The staff and I have even come up with a suggested list of duchess titles.

  1. Duchess of Anchuria (Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry)
  2. Duchess of Asgard (Norse mythology)
  3. Duchess of Atlantis
  4. Duchess of Babar’s Kingdom
  5. Duchess of Chewandswallow (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs)
  6. Duchess of Cittàgazze (His Dark Materials)
  7. Duchess of the Federal District of Sitka (The Yiddish Policemen’s Union)
  8. Duchess of Florin (The Princess Bride)
  9. Duchess of Genovia (The Princess Diaries)
  10. Duchess of Gondor (The Lord of the Rings)
  11. Duchess of Graustark (several novels by George Barr McCutcheon)
  12. Duchess of Guilder (The Princess Bride)
  13. Duchess of Hogsmeade (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
  14. Duchess of Latveria (Fantastic Four)
  15. Duchess of Lilliput (Gulliver’s Travels)
  16. Duchess of Loompaland (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
  17. Duchess of Malaurak (Modesty Blaise)
  18. Duchess of Narnia
  19. Duchess of Neverland
  20. Duchess of Oceania (1984)
  21. Duchess of Olympus
  22. Duchess of Oz
  23. Duchess of Panem (The Hunger Games)
  24. Duchess of Pemberley (Pride and Prejudice)
  25. Duchess of Rohan (The Lord of the Rings)
  26. Duchess of Shangri-La
  27. Duchess of the Shire (The Lord of the Rings)
  28. Duchess of Utopia
  29. Duchess of Wakanda (Fantastic Four)
  30. Duchess of Westeros (A Game of Thrones)
  31. Duchess of Wonderland
  32. Duchess of Zu-Vendis (Allan Quatermain)

Are there any potential literary titles that we missed? I’ve got no problem knocking the two Fantastic Four references off this list if any readers can come up with something a little more high-minded. (Not that there’s anything wrong with referencing the great work of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. And if you disagree, it’s clobberin’ time.)

7 thoughts on “Next Year’s La Fiesta Titles Are Booked

  • June 12, 2013 at 11:02 am
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    I am going to take a wild guess and wager that the Jane Austen reference belongs to one Sarah Bennett, and the Harry Potter reference was thought up by one Margaux Anbouba.

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  • June 12, 2013 at 11:29 am
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    You’re right on the first count, Caitlin, but wrong on the second one. I’ll leave it up to Margaux to reveal her suggestions (ahem).

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  • June 12, 2013 at 12:43 pm
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    Great ideas – made me smile.

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  • June 12, 2013 at 2:22 pm
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    The Duchess of Pass the Dutchie (Musical Youth)

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  • June 12, 2013 at 5:23 pm
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    Duchess of Treasure Island and The Duchess of The Hundred Acre Woods.

    Reply
  • June 13, 2013 at 9:12 am
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    Duchess of Maycomb (To Kill a Mockingbird)

    Reply

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