Most Popular
1500 questions
11
votes
1 answer
What qualifies something as "Lovecraftian"?
I often hear the term "Lovecraftian" used in reference to describe certain elements of horror literature or film. I do understand this to be a reference to H.P. Lovecraft and his style of horror, but where I'm a little unclear is on what degree of…
sanpaco
- 506
- 4
- 17
11
votes
2 answers
Is the original manuscript of Don Quixote extant?
Apparently, there are 27 known copies of the first edition (1605). But Cervantes' hand-written original is not extant, correct?
Rodney Dunning
- 221
- 1
- 6
11
votes
1 answer
What is meant by the reference to theology in The Death of The Author?
I'm looking to clarify how I should interpret the following passage from The Death of The Author by Roland Barthes:
We know that a text does not consist of a line of words, releasing
a single "theological" meaning (the "message" of the…
Benjamin
- 6,053
- 2
- 30
- 76
11
votes
2 answers
Was Dostoyevsky atheist or Christian?
We see atheist and Christian heroes in Dostoyevsky's books. In many cases the works of an author reflect elements of their own life. However, the extent to which this occurs vary by author. Especially, in this instance where he has portrayed both…
Navid777
- 411
- 6
- 14
11
votes
2 answers
What is the meaning of "Not even Jonah’s wife would swallow that story" in Marquez's "Love in the Time of Cholera"?
In the book of the Colombian novelist García Márquez Love in the Time of Cholera there is the following phrase:
She said: “Not even Jonah’s wife would swallow that story.”
I tried to find some information about Jonah's wife online but couldn't…
Rose
- 111
- 2
11
votes
1 answer
Identify non-Doylian Holmes short story: Watson outstrips Sherlock and Mycroft
About ten years ago, I read an old short story about Sherlock Holmes, which was not one of the 'canon' Doyle stories. I think it may have been written by one of the well-known later detective fiction authors, such as Agatha Christie or P.D. James,…
Rand al'Thor
- 72,435
- 26
- 236
- 488
11
votes
1 answer
Meaning of "How can one admire a girl...so young she doesn't know how to bite her fingers"
In a book of short stories by Maasthi Venkatesa Iyengar, translated from Kannada to English, there is a story set in colonial India in which two male characters are discussing marriage. One character asks a second character why he wouldn't marry a…
Alan West
11
votes
2 answers
For works translated by the original author, how common is it for additional translations to exist? What might these translation add?
Sorley MacLean was a Scottish poet who worked in Gaelic. This was the language of his poem, Hallaig, about the Highland clearances and how time changes our perception of history. However, he also provided an English translation. Here are the opening…
Matt Thrower
- 22,097
- 4
- 63
- 139
11
votes
1 answer
Did Phaedrus derive a final definition of quality?
It was a long time ago that I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and I vaguely recall that Phaedrus came up with a final definition of quality.
I've tried skimming through the book to try and find it again, but I've come up dry and I'm…
Paul
- 223
- 1
- 11
11
votes
2 answers
Does "call me Ishmael" imply that that might not be his real name?
The narrator of Moby-Dick famously tells readers to "call me Ishmael." Is this implying that this might not have been his real name? If so, why would he lie about that?
EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine
- 17,886
- 7
- 39
- 123
11
votes
3 answers
What are the 1001 stories in One Thousand and One Nights?
Recently I bought a One Thousand and One Nights book hoping that I would read 1001 stories. But then I find out that the number of stories varies depending on the version.
Some versions have 200 - 300 stories (not nights), which encompass far less…
Chaotic
- 203
- 1
- 8
11
votes
2 answers
Looking for a historical fiction book set in England, possibly about the War of the Roses
I was homeschooled, and we studied a lot of history through historical fiction. I was pretty young at the time, so I can't remember them all, but a few have stuck out to me. Unfortunately, I can no longer recall their titles.
There was one…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
- 215
- 1
- 7
11
votes
1 answer
Where did the names Siegfried and Tristan Farnon come from?
The British vet and writer Alfred Wight is best known for his series of semi-autobiographical stories written under the pen name James Herriot, recounting details of his experience as a country vet in North Yorkshire. In these books, he himself…
Rand al'Thor
- 72,435
- 26
- 236
- 488
11
votes
0 answers
What methods have been used to distinguish the text between the two strands of The Neverending Story?
I've owned two copies of Michael Ende's The Neverending Story in my life - both English translations, one paperback with a blue cover, one hardback with a red cover inside the dustcover. Both of them clearly distinguished in the text between the…
Rand al'Thor
- 72,435
- 26
- 236
- 488
11
votes
1 answer
Story about a man who wins three bets with the devil
I read a story in my reading book in third or fourth grade about a man who got tricked into agreeing to three bets with the devil because the man was a great gambler. The man won all three bets and in rage the devil cursed him so that all the forces…
Reisu
- 113
- 5