Most Popular
1500 questions
11
votes
1 answer
Leonid Andreyev novel about man pretending to be crazy in order to get away with murder
I have read a story by Leonid Andreyev many years ago. I would like to read it again but I don't know where / how to find it.
The story is about a guy that one day decides to kill his friend. His friend was a writer as far as I remember. He decides…
Lazarus Rising
- 213
- 1
- 5
11
votes
1 answer
Is there any significance to the races of mates and harpooners in Moby Dick?
To my best knowledge, all four boatmates in Moby Dick are white men from the New England. The boatmates are the men in charge of the small whaling boats.
Ahab - Quaker(?) from New England, possibly Nantucket.
Starbuck - a thoughtful and…
RichS
- 486
- 3
- 10
11
votes
0 answers
What's the origin of the rhyme "My friend Billy had a ten foot willy"?
A simple rhyming song which I heard growing up and which still gets stuck in my head every so often:
My friend Billy had a ten foot willy.
He stuck it through the neighbour's door. OR He showed it to the girl next door.
She thought it was a…
Rand al'Thor
- 72,435
- 26
- 236
- 488
11
votes
1 answer
Why did attitudes change towards tragedy?
Views on whether or not tragedy provides a fulfilling end to a work have changed over the centuries and it has slipped in and out of popularity in contemporary works of a given period. Great literary classics, such as Romeo and Juliet, have always…
Fabjaja
- 2,166
- 1
- 16
- 37
11
votes
3 answers
What happened at the end of The Giver?
At the end of The Giver, Jonas and Gabe head down through the snow to a place where there is music.
Downward, downward, faster and faster. Suddenly he was aware with certainty and joy that below, ahead, they were waiting for him; and they were…
Mithical
- 24,015
- 16
- 94
- 184
11
votes
1 answer
Are you required to read any of Langdon books by Dan Brown to properly understand and enjoy the next ones?
Technically speaking, Dan Brown's Langdon books are part of a series in a common universe.
But at first glance, they don't seem to be all that related to each other - more like Fleming's 007 than Harry Potter.
Are you required to read any of Langdon…
DVK
- 4,516
- 17
- 43
11
votes
2 answers
Do the female Dwarves in Tolkien's Legendarium also have beards?
In The Return of the King, Appendix A, there's this quote about female dwarves:
Dís was the daughter of Thrain II. She is the only dwarf-woman named in these histories. It was said by Gimli that there are few dwarf-women, probably no more than a…
Mithical
- 24,015
- 16
- 94
- 184
11
votes
4 answers
What does “Until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him” mean?
I came across the following passage in Dan Brown’s fiction, “Inferno”:
[...] their physical being and cosmic importance shrinking to the size of
a mere speck in the face of God … an atom in the hands of the Creator.
Until a man is nothing, God…
Yoichi Oishi
- 219
- 2
- 5
11
votes
5 answers
What is the oldest literary award?
The Wikipedia page for literary awards lists inauguration dates for international awards, and of those the earliest of those is the Nobel Prize in 1901. However, I don't know about non-international awards, nor does the page for the Nobel Prize…
Kimball
- 1,043
- 9
- 19
11
votes
1 answer
Is alliteration adjacent words and/or close together words starting with the same letter? If words between are permitted then how many?
OK, I know this question isn't about literary analysis or anything but I posted this on ELU and it was put on hold (as off-topic) and I was advised to post it here.
Is alliteration exclusively adjacent words beginning with the same letter, such…
Fabjaja
- 2,166
- 1
- 16
- 37
11
votes
1 answer
Did the Strugatsky brothers ever comment on "predicting" the Kasparov-Karpov World Chess rivalry?
In the foundational novel of their Noon universe, Noon, XXII century (Полдень, XXII век), published in 1961, the Strugatsky brothers "predicted" the notorious Kasparov-Karpov World Chess rivalry and championship:
Задача получила название «Буриданов…
DVK
- 4,516
- 17
- 43
11
votes
3 answers
What is "This is Just to Say" about?
In "This is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams, the speaker appears to deliver an apology for stealing the plums of the person at whom the poem is targeted. I have heard some people analyze this poem as being truly about plums. However, I have…
Benjamin
- 6,053
- 2
- 30
- 76
11
votes
2 answers
What does the "good night" symbolize in Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle into that good night"?
Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas, he begins with "Do not go gentle into that good night". He also uses this as one of two alternating refrains. In this poem, what does the "good night" symbolize?
Benjamin
- 6,053
- 2
- 30
- 76
11
votes
2 answers
Why does the portrayal of fate in the Odyssey differ from that of the Iliad?
In the Iliad, fate and the will of the gods are two distinct concepts. This is shown when Zeus is tempted to save his son, Sarpedon, from his predestined death in battle, though he ultimately chooses not to. However, in the Odyssey, fate and the…
gray
- 111
- 3
11
votes
1 answer
Why the rubbish in Samuel Beckett's play Breath?
Samuel Beckett's play Breath is thirty-five seconds long and consists of two cries. The script is online here.
Why does the script specify that:
Faint light on stage littered with miscellaneous rubbish. Hold for about five seconds.
and…
Hello World
- 111
- 1
- 3