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13
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How much experience does Mark Haddon have with the autism spectrum?
While The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is not supposed to be about autism, Asperger's or the autism spectrum, it does feature it prominently in that Christopher, the main character, is on the spectrum.
However, it wasn't clear to me…
CHEESE
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What is the theology of Little Women?
Little Women is partially inspired by Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, with chapter titles and themes borrowed from Bunyan's story, and reading the book itself being an early activity the girls share.
But almost two centuries separated the books, and in…
curiousdannii
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13
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Why does Meursault kill "the Arab" in The Stranger?
In Albert Camus' book The Stranger, Meursault kills a character known as "the Arab" for no real reason at all. Meursault even acknowledges that he doesn't have to kill "the Arab"
It struck me that all I had to do was to turn, walk away, and think…
user111
13
votes
2 answers
Was the clue to who Panama Oxridge really is ever found?
The Tartan of Thyme series is written by 'Panama Oxridge', a pseudonym. When questioned why they used this pen name the author said:
'Using a pseudonym was partly to distance myself from my previous picture-book persona – partly because (like…
Beastly Gerbil
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13
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From where did David Foster Wallace draw inspiration for writing style and technique?
DFW has a peculiar writing style. For example, in his essay, Authority and American Usage, he makes use of a colloquial form of writing which is often repeated in his other essays. An example of this concerns his use of footnotes — the essay has 81…
user80
13
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5 answers
Why does A Wind in the Door contradict A Wrinkle in Time on conformity?
In A Wrinkle in Time, conformity is evil. Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin go to the planet Camazotz, a dystopian world where everyone conforms to the rhythm of IT and is tortured for erring from it. Here, conforming to a higher order is depicted as…
Torisuda
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What did "Moloch" represent in Allen Ginsberg´s poem "Howl"?
In Allen Ginsberg´s poem "Howl", what did "Moloch" represent?
What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination?
Moloch! Solitude! Filth! Ugliness! Ashcans and unobtainable dollars! Children…
user59
13
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1 answer
Was "Earthly Powers" actually based on Burgess' private, and secret life?
The gay-oriented book Earthly Powers (1980)
was narrated by an 81-year-old successful, homosexual writer, Kenneth Toomey, a figure loosely based on W. Somerset Maugham.
However, it seems that many of the scenes were of a more personal nature. At…
user59
13
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5 answers
Did William Shakespeare hide things in his writings?
I was reading Shakespeare's third sonnet, and I noticed something funny. I am going to put in bold all the capital letters in the sonnet itself.
Sonnet III
When fortie Winters shall beseige thy brow,
And digge deep trenches in thy beauties…
Mr Pie
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What are the different names of Fenrir / Fenris Wolf?
In the book Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (2017) both the names Fenrir and Fenris Wolf are used.
Example, from chapter "Ragnarok: The Final Destiny of the Gods":
Fenrir, the great wolf, will free himself from his shackles... Where Fenris Wolf…
StayOnTarget
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Who wrote the well-known Outline of Chapter Contents in the Penguin edition of Finnegans Wake?
Who wrote the well-known Outline of Chapter Contents in the Penguin edition of Finnegans Wake?
Wikipedia describes the structure of Finnegans Wake as follows.
Finnegans Wake comprises seventeen chapters, divided into four Parts
or Books. Part I…
fundagain
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Could Shelob have kept the ring for herself?
In the Lord of the Rings, Gollum/Smeagol’s plan is to lead Frodo and Sam into the pass of Cirith Ungol, where he was gonna leave them to be consumed by Shelob and take the ring from the remains. However, is it possible that Shelob might’ve kept the…
Aoi
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What is the story of the woman who collected valueless things?
In G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown short story, The Blast of the Book, he makes two references to a story (presumably allegoric) about a woman who collected valueless things. The references are not explained and from the context it seems that the…
jla
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How do people "kiss their teeth" in Nalo Hopkinson's novels?
At the start of the novel Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson, one of the characters, Makeda, is looking for a new place to live. A certain Milo rents out "units" in what he calls "warehouse living" and shows Makeda what the facilities look like. Makeda…
Tsundoku
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In Ulysses, why does Stephen finally decide not to stay with Bloom?
Ulysses is such a well-commented book that it's hard to find questions which have not been widely explored already. However, there's a simple aspect of character motivation I've been unable to clarify.
In Chapter 16, Bloom persuades Stephen that it…
Matt Thrower
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