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Why did "Some Answered Questions" get re-translated?
Some Answered Questions was first published into English in 1908, but was "extensively retranslated" in 2014. Why was a retranslation needed?
I assume it has to do with the dual origin of the English and Persian interview notes, and the relative…
BESW
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Why is Sergeant Shadwell obsessed with nipples?
One of the many recurring gags in Good Omens is Sergeant Shadwell's obsession with nipples. For example:
One of the first questions he asks Newt when recruiting him to the Witchfinder Army is how many nipples he's got.
When Aziraphale recruits him…
Rand al'Thor
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In Cupid and Psyche, why does Cupid hide himself from Psyche?
In the myth, Cupid only comes to Psyche in the dark, so she doesn't know who he is or what he looks like.
What's Cupid's motivation for hiding his identity? Was he planning to do that indefinitely if Psyche hadn't disobeyed his order and took a…
gray
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When was young Cosette's bedtime?
While the song "Come to Me" was probably not intended as a treatise on astronomical timekeeping or 19th-century French child-rearing, some of Fantine's lines (taken at face value) fit together for a remarkably specific implication about her…
nanoman
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Does "Animal Farm" explicitly state anywhere in the text that it is in fact a political allegory?
I first heard of George Orwell's Animal Farm in high school when a teacher mentioned that it was an allegory of the Soviet State. So I read it two years later with that understanding.
While recently reading another novel on the same subject I was…
English Student
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Why is the Omani trinket salesman story "female", and what does female mean here?
American Gods contains interludes named "Coming to America", which describe how certain gods and other entities arrived to the country. One of those stories features a djinn (a fire spirit, sort of), who works as a taxi driver, and a young man from…
Gallifreyan
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Why do some books have colors on the edges of the pages?
On some books, I've noticed that they have colors on the edges of the pages. For instance, on my Tikkun:
And on a G'mara (part of the Talmud):
What is the point of these colors? Are they only found on religious books?
Mithical
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How does scansion work in Arabic poetry?
I was reading about Arabic poetry on Wikipedia, and specifically the description of scansion:
The rhymed poetry falls within fifteen different meters collected and explained by al-Farahidi in The Science of ‘Arud. Al-Akhfash, a student of…
Rand al'Thor
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Did Rudyard Kipling Write "The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon"?
I came across a poem on a forum, attributed to Rudyard Kipling called "THE WRATH OF THE AWAKENED SAXON" (the title seems to be often posted in caps).
A Google search indicates that where posted, this is always attributed to Kipling. My skepticism…
Rusty
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How to travel with paperback books without damaging them?
I like to carry paperback books with me in a backpack. I've noticed that this puts a lot of wear and tear on these books. I can't not carry these books in my backpack, but what can I do to better protect them?
user111
12
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How does the Ministry of Love know your worst fear?
Room 101 is a torture room based on your worst fear. In Winston's case, it's quite easy to find his worst fear (rats) because he is caught by the telescreen admitting to Julia that he hates rats when they see one in their private room. However, I'd…
fi12
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Is there really a nuclear war in the world of "The Lord of the Flies"?
In The Lord of the Flies, it is pretty clear that there is some sort of war going on outside of the island (the dogfight that leads to the dead pilot, the naval ship that rescues the boys at the end, the evacuation of the boys). The vibe I got was…
KittenWithAWhip
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What is it with British occultism and Brussels sprouts?
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens is set in England, and one of the characters is Madame Tracy, who makes her living by doing "occult" seances, either by using a crystal ball or a Tarot deck (which doesn't contain any Major Arcana because…
Gallifreyan
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Is there any indication that Poe feared live burial?
Many of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories feature burial while alive; in one case, the subject of the story actually suffers from taphophobia before his own live burial. (Wikipedia helpfully includes a list of "Burial while alive in other Poe works"…
Shokhet
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Who was Long John Silver based on?
In his little-known preface to Treasure Island (which I discovered while answering this question), Robert Louis Stevenson wrote rather persuasively on the possibilities for how a fictional character might be inspired, whether by a stranger…
Rand al'Thor
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