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Meaning of a 19 century joke printed in a newspaper, with punchline "Oh, mother, what a good job the cat’s a black one"
From a 19th century newspaper:
A family who had the misfortune to lose their father were discussing what mourning would be required, when the youngest, a child of six, said :
"Oh, mother, what a good job the cat’s a black one."
I don't understand…
CopperKettle
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Are there any recorded discrepancies between The Odyssey as oral tradition and The Odyssey as Homer transcribed it?
The Odyssey began as oral tradition, and was later transcribed by someone we now call "Homer." Disregarding the Homeric Question concerning the identity of the person who transcribed these works, it recently occurred to me...
Since The Odyssey began…
user80
31
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Was Odysseus considered unfaithful to his wife in the Odyssey?
Penelope is portrayed throughout the story to be virtuous when it comes to men, meaning that she holds out hope for her husband's safety 20 years after she saw him and had no other relationships in that time.
Odysseus on the other hand has romantic…
Matrim Cauthon
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Why don't Mr. Bennet's daughters get to inherit the Longbourn estate?
In the book Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Collins comments that Lady Catherine de Bourgh's daughter will one day inherit the de Bourgh fortune. From previous chapters, we know that the five daughters of Bennet will not inherit their estate (which is now…
WorldGov
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Why is the UK called Airstrip One?
In 1984, London is the chief city of the province Airstrip One (which consists of the UK), which is a part of the superstate Oceania. Is there a reason why it's called Airstrip One?
fi12
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What's it called when a short quote appears at the beginning of a chapter?
I've read several novels (Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy springs to mind, for example) in which each chapter is associated with a quote from some other piece of literature, which is usually somehow relevant to the events of the chapter. The same…
Rand al'Thor
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Did J. K. Rowling base platform 9 3/4 on the Gump?
In the Harry Potter series, there is platform 9 ¾ in Kings Cross Station. You travel through this place to go to a magical place.
In The Secret of Platform 13, by Eva Ibbotson, (which is older than Harry Potter) the Gump is a magical thing that you…
Mithical
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Since when has Shakespeare's "Scottish play" been considered unlucky?
In theatrical superstition, Shakespeare's play Macbeth is considered to be unlucky, to the extent that even saying its name more than necessary may bring bad luck: hence the tradition of actors referring to it as "the Scottish play". According to…
Rand al'Thor
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How did real historical Igbo society differ from its portrayal in Things Fall Apart?
I recently read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, and found its detailed portrayal of historical Igbo (aka Ibo) culture very interesting. My understanding is that it's a reasonably close approximation of actual Igbo culture, but does mix in…
user56reinstatemonica8
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Is Sherlock Holmes religious?
In this question, it is established that Sherlock Holmes, from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was asexual and in explaining that it is stated that he showed very little emotion in general. This led me to wonder if he was religious in any of the…
Benjamin
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In Brave New World, what caste is Lenina Crowne?
In Brave New World, there is an extensive caste system. However, Lenina's caste is never explicitly pointed out. She is important to many of the male characters in the book, each belonging to a different caste.
What caste is she and what proof is…
soundslikeodd
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Did Poe plagiarise someone else's work when writing "The Raven"?
I've read that Poe's been accused of lifting significant elements from many authors including Elizabeth Barrett, Charles Dickens, Leo Penzoni, and Thomas Holley Chivers (and "unknown," of course). Since Poe himself was famous for accusing more…
BESW
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In which order should the Sherlock Holmes stories be read?
The canonical Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle comprise:
four novellas:
A Study in Scarlet
The Sign of Four
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Valley of Fear
fifty-six short stories, separated into five collections:
The Adventures…
Rand al'Thor
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Why does Mr. Poe cough so much?
In the recent adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, the character Arthur Poe is portrayed with a consistent cough. This is never touched on in the Netflix series, but is it explained why he has this cough in the books at…
DForck42
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When and why did the Brothers Grimm start collecting fairy tales?
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are well known for authoring multiple collections of traditional folk tales in the late 18th/early 19th century. Their first major collection of stories was published in 1812.
But when did they start collecting them and…
user72