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What is the difference between a philosophical novel and a novel of ideas?
Wikipedia calls the novel of ideas a subgenre of philosophical fiction, without defining the first term. The Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory (2010) uses the terms "novel of ideas" and "philosophical novel" interchangeably. In articles…
Robert
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Why was the ending of "And Then There Were None" changed for the stage version?
Agatha Christie's famous crime story And Then There Were None was written both as a book and later as a play by Christie herself. However, when adapting her own story for the stage, she made a significant change to the ending, namely ...
Warning:…
Rand al'Thor
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Were the Just William stories written for adults or children?
Just William is an enduring series of stories about an errant schoolboy from a solidly upper-middle class family in Edwardian England. Due to their subject and humorous nature they are typically perceived as children's literature.
However, it is…
Matt Thrower
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About Sappho's "Hector and Andromacha" poem
In a relatively short while, I'll have to write a blog post on this poem, so I've been doing some research into the sources. The first is P.Oxy. 1232, an image of which is the following.
A later source is P.Oxy. 2076, with image below.
From these,…
MickG
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Do traditional Japanese haikus always describe a moment?
I am currently reading The Heart of Haiku by Jane Hirshfield. In it, there are many examples of haikus by Bashō. In them, they always appear to give reference to a time, either explicitly or through description of the moment. Are there any examples…
Benjamin
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Identify a book about boys living in the woods for a summer
The book seemed to be set between the wars and in hindsight felt like an English version of Huckleberry Finn. Three brothers decided to spend the summer in the woods near their house. I think two initially planned but ended up taking the youngest…
cockbeard
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Why is the oath sworn to Dolon by Hector a "bootless" one?
In this question I asked abouth the following oath
"May Jove the thundering husband of Juno bear witnes that no other Trojan but yourself shall mount those steeds, and that you shall have your will with them for ever."
It is in Book X (10) of The…
Mirte
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Which South or Central American female author wrote a short story about frozen cockroaches?
In the 90s I read a collection of short stories by a South American female author (most likely translated to English vs having been written in English originally). I remember the stories were good, and I remember fragments of a few:
a person…
loopernow
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Are Vin and Elend symbolically linked to Preservation and Ruin in The Hero of Ages?
In Brandon Sanderson's The Hero of Ages (book three of the Mistborn trilogy), Preservation and Ruin are two anthropomorphized forces of nature, evenly matched in their struggle against one another.
These two forces are represented throughout the…
Shokhet
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What is the significance of counting up to twelve in 'Keeping Quiet'?
Pablo Neruda opens his poem Keeping Quiet with the following lines:
Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
Why did he choose to count to 'twelve' of all numbers? In fact, why count at all? The very next stanza says:
For once on…
archthegreat
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Were Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet formally equal in rank?
Were any of the main characters in Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Lady Catherine de Bourgh) more than gentry? Did any of them belong to the peerage?
Was there any formal difference in the rank between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet? I guess…
Honza Zidek
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Literary background of being poisoned via the ear?
Shakespeare's Hamlet famously features a character being killed by having poison poured into his ear. This unusual method of murder has been much referenced in other works since Shakespeare, but where did the idea originally come from? Was it…
Rand al'Thor
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Why did Dantès have to be imprisoned?
The text of The Count of Monte Cristo states multiple times that Villefort must imprison the innocent Dantès in order to fulfill his ambition. This ambition is realized in his gaining an audience with the king and revealing Napoleon's plan to return…
Devsman
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Identify a (post nuclear?) fallout story
The plot is a bit hazy for me since I read this novel years ago but can someone tell me if they know this book?
The plot:
Bomb goes off in the UK.
Building collapse and many people die.
Society starts to break down
The hero and his family own a…
Metro Boomin
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What is the source of Mr. Norrell's wealth?
In Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, the magician Norrell has cornered the market on magical books, which must have been a considerable expense. He also seems to have a considerable estate. How did he become so wealthy?
I believe that the character's…
Joshua Engel
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