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What does the raven say to Ged when he first enters the school at Roke?
In the Wizard of Earthsea when Ged first enters the school at Roke, he meets with the Archmage Nemmerle, and a "raven of Osskil" wanders towards the Archmage (his familiar, maybe?) and when the Archmage vanishes
Only the raven stood eyeing him, its…
auden
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What does the line “Excellent, i' faith, of the chameleon's dish. I eat the air, promise-crammed. You cannot feed capons so.” mean, from Hamlet?
“Excellent, i' faith, of the chameleon's dish. I eat the air, promise-crammed. You cannot feed capons so.”
Hamlet, act 3, scene 2
What does this sentence mean?
What are the chameleon, air and capons representing? How does this relate to Hamlet's…
Eric Zhang
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Short horror story I read two years ago about a Jack-in-the-box
About two years ago I read a short story about a Jack-in-the-box that is unused. I believe that he was at the bottom of the toy box and where he came from was unknown.
In the house were a bunch of kids. If I can remember the oldest died in World War…
Hermione Granger
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What is the meaning of the blue X in the Three Attic Whalestoe Letters in House of Leaves?
In the middle of Appendix E of House of Leaves, "The Three Attic Whalestoe Letters", a mysterious blue "X" appears through the middle of an "e" on the page.
Click to view the whole of page 625 in context:
I've never actually figured this part of…
user80
10
votes
1 answer
Looking for an O.Henry story where a young man from the country working in the city marries a socialite and then goes for a visit to his home
The young man in the question takes his bride to his home in the countryside to meet his family. The author describes the following scene in exquisite detail:-
It's night and the entire family is sitting on the porch of their house
the brother of…
goluhaque
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Is Hamlet correct when he says "it is an honest ghost"?
The Ghost in Hamlet claims to be Hamlet's father's spirit released from Purgatory. Is it possible that the Ghost is lying? Has it been sent from Hell to stir up mischief in Elsinore? (The play does end with a body count of eight.)
Kevin Troy
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Why did Wang Lung care for his "poor fool"?
In The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, the farmer Wang Lung and his family go through a time of famine. In that time, girls were not very valued, and he could have sold his as a slave or even just abandoned her because of the financial burden. In…
Lianne Caranthir
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Meaning of "may I be twice damned for a bank-clerk or store hand" in "I hight Don Quixote", a poem by Jack Parsons
From I Hight Don Quixote by Jack Parsons:
They said I was crazy, ambiguous, lazy,
disgusting, fantastic, obscene;
So I hied for my sagebrush and cactus and corn mush,
To see if the air was still clean.
Oh, I hight Don Quixote, I live on…
CopperKettle
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4 answers
Meaning of "And do not drop in for an after-loss" in Shakespeare's sonnet 90
Sonnet 90 by Shakespeare:
Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now;
Now, while the world is bent my deeds to cross,
Join with the spite of fortune, make me bow,
And do not drop in for an after-loss:
Ah! do not, when my heart hath 'scaped…
CopperKettle
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1 answer
Did Alfred Tennyson ever read The Last of the Light Brigade?
The Last of the Light Brigade, by Rudyard Kipling refers to Alfred Tennyson and his poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade. Do we know if Alfred Tennyson ever read The Last of the Light Brigade? If so, what was his opinion of it?
Benjamin
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10
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1 answer
When do the events in The Valley of Fear take place?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's final Sherlock Holmes novel, "The Valley of Fear", is notable for being the only story other than the short story The Final Problem where Professor Moriarty plays a direct role. We know that the "The Valley of Fear" is set…
user8
10
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1 answer
In what order should Rick Riordan's mythological series be read to make the most sense, and what is the chronological order?
As established in this question, all of Rick Riordan's mythological series take place in a single universe. I have not read any of his books, but this gave me a question. If I were to read the books it would be my first time reading them and I would…
Benjamin
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2 answers
In "On The Face of It" by Susan Hill, why did the author decide to kill Mr. Lamb at the end of the story?
"On The Face of It" by Susan Hill (a 5-10 minute read) is part of my curriculum, and I'm genuinely confused as to why the author decided to kill Mr Lamb at the end. The entire story is about optimism reigning over pessimism... but then the main…
Aryaman
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How was Crime and Punishment originally published?
I know that Crime and Punishment was originally published in "The Russian Messenger". I read that it was a Monthly journal. But how exactly was Crime and Punishment formatted in its initial release? Was one Chapter released per month with each…
Chris Fraser
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Short story about a scientist who (half jokingly) presented the theory that humans evolved from pigs, instead of apes
This was a short story from the 60's-70's.
The story was part of an anthology, perhaps from one of the magazines at the time (since it wasn't award winning material). A scientist (or doctor) at a hospital (college?) had an annoying pompous boss who…
Aaron Smith