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Book of short stories I read as a kid; one story about a starving girl, one about a boy who stays forever young
I can remember two short stories, and while I am not entirely sure if they're from the same book, I would hugely appreciate finding either.
The first story I remember reading about was about a girl and her father starving during a harsh winter. It…
Stale Sandwich
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What does "grinning" mean in Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen"?
At the beginning of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen", when describing the distorting mirror that would then shatter, the word "grin" is used:
If a good thought passed through anyone's mind, it turned to a grin in the mirror, and this…
Mithical
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Did Shakespeare's audience believe Measure for Measure to be realistic?
In the play Measure for Measure Vincentio, the Duke of Vienna, leaves his city in the charge of a judge while he goes on a "diplomatic mission". It transpires that he has not, in fact, left the city at all but has disguised himself as a monk and…
Matt Thrower
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Why was it necessary to have the page dress up as a woman?
In the beginning of The Taming of the Shrew, the Lord has his page dress up as a woman:
Sirrah, you go get Bartholomew, my page,
And dress him in all suits like a lady.
That done, escort him to the drunkard's chamber,
And call him "Madam", do…
Mithical
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What significance does the opening grid illustration of Burton’s 1,001 Nights have?
In Burton’s The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, the first thing in each volume is a whole page illustration of a grid or a maze:
What’s the significance of this? Arabic art centres on geometric patterns, but what does this illustration…
Robin Whittleton
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Which story from 'One Thousand and One Nights' does the following artwork by Léon Carré depict?
The following illustration by Léon Carré supposedly depicts a passage from a story in One Thousand and One Nights. I am searching for the title of the story the artwork was intended to illustrate. Preferably, I am hoping to be able to confirm the…
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Was there a deliberate parallel between the Thénardiers and Gollum?
Long ago, I noticed that there was a parallel between The Lord of the Rings and Les Misérables in the characters of the Thénardiers and Gollum.
Gollum has the One Ring at the start of the tale in The Hobbit, but it wasn't his. The Thénardiers had…
muru
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Who is "the black gentleman"?
In Jane Austen's Emma, Mr. Weston, when announcing that Frank Churchill is returning to Highbury, says this:
'Well, he is coming, you see; good news, I think. Well, what do you say to it?—I always told you he would be here again soon, did not…
Mithical
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Please identify the name and author of a short story about forbidden clocks
I read that a long time ago, don't remember many details. It was a short story written in English. About a city where clocks were forbidden. Workers in the city have wristbands with different colours to indicate their turns (say orange=morning,…
curious-reader
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Short story where spectators at a sports match shine a mirror at the referee and burn him
I read a short story long ago. I can't remember the details but I would like to reread it. What's it's title?
The story is a science fiction story concerning some sports match. A referee makes a bad call and then the hats of the spectators reflect…
mtheorylord
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2 answers
What's up with the colors of Delirium's speech bubbles?
In the prologue to Season of Mists (The Sandman #21), the Endless are gathered for a family meeting. Each of them talks with a different typeface, to help differentiate their manners of speech and personality.
I'm wondering why Delirium speaks with…
Shokhet
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In 'The Graveyard Book' by Neil Gaiman, why is one 'Jack' named for a historical person
The book features a group of characters who are members of a fraternal organization, and call themselves:
the Jacks of All Trades, or the Knaves, or by other names. We go back an extremely long way. We know ... we remember things that most people…
Spagirl
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What's the earliest fictional work of literature that contains an allusion to an earlier fictional work of literature?
I need to define my terms quite carefully for this question. So the Mirriam-Webster definition of allusion is:
an implied or indirect reference especially in literature
i.e. a poem that makes allusions to classical literature
For clarity, then,…
Matt Thrower
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1 answer
A story about a girl and a mechanical girl with a tattoo travelling on a train
There is a story I recall many details from, but the title still escapes me. I read a physical school library copy between 2013-2018, in elementary/middle; I live in the USA.
The story starts with a character who lives in a countryside slum, and…
Rewan Demontay
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What does living "in a very small way" mean?
Towards the beginning of Emma by Jane Austen, Mrs. Bates is mentioned as living with her daughter in "a very small way":
Mrs. Bates, the widow of a former vicar of Highbury, was a very old lady, almost past every thing but tea and quadrille. She…
Mithical
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