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What is the "Isle of the Blessed" and why should a girl see it before marriage?
In Chapter 3 of Theodor Fontane's novel Effi Briest, which I've recently started reading online, Effi and her mother are spending some days in Berlin before her marriage, accompanied by her cousin Dagobert. The following paragraph puzzled me:
Every…
Rand al'Thor
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Did Rand think that people in the real world were that stupid?
Atlas Shrugged is a novel that was written for the purpose of expressing Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism. Generally speaking, barring those setbacks placed in their way by non-Objectivists, the Objectivist characters of Rand's books ultimately…
Shokhet
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What was "Rip Van Winkle" based on?
I was recently surprised to discover that the story of Rip Van Winkle is credited to the US author Washington Irving, who published it in 1819. I'd always vaguely imagined it to be a Brothers Grimm story or an old (probably European) folk tale. It…
Rand al'Thor
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Can we assume the 'Savages' go unpunished?
In the end of The Lord of the Flies, the boys' rescuer, the Naval Officer, does not comprehend what is really happening, terming it "all fun and games".
Can we assume that the savages, especially Jack and Roger, go totally unpunished?
Ralph is there…
Mirte
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Why was Welsh nationalist poet RS Thomas so critical of the Welsh people?
Welsh poet R.S. Thomas was an ardent Welsh nationalist and advocate for independence. Although a native English speaker he learned and conversed in Welsh, although he never felt fluent enough to use it for his poetry. Yet in spite of his nationalist…
Matt Thrower
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In Macbeth, why is Fleance 'scaped?
I've always been curious about the precise phrasing of this line from Macbeth, spoken by the First Murderer:
Most royal sir, Fleance is 'scaped.
The meaning of this, and as far as I can tell the meter and rhythm, is exactly the same as:
Most…
Matt Thrower
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The real-life inspiration for the characters of Atlas Shrugged?
Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is a good story paired with a (sometimes belabored) expression of the author's philosophy. I was wondering if there are any real-life connections to the characters of her books. Wikipedia notes (citing Rand's journal and…
Shokhet
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Why does Slowswift find this remark ironic?
In The Hero of Ages, Vin and Slowswift have this conversation:
"Cett is one of the finest poets I know, child," said Slowswift, waving her toward a chair. "We shared our work with one another for a good decade or so before politics stole him away.…
bobble
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Identify a story about the kid who waves at the train
I learned of a story in my high school time(sometime during year 2000-2002) as part of the English textbox.
The story is about two men having a conversation in a train, one is a disabled man who lost his wife during delivery(or something similar)…
Mat J
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Why did Mr Jaggers have death masks of two of his former clients, Great Expectations Chapter 24?
This question is regarding Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Chapter 24 (also known as Volume II Chapter V).
Mr Jaggers has two casts in his office, revealed by Wemmick to be death masks of his former clients.
Wemmick says they are
Famous…
Jacob Lee-Hart
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Understanding the plotline of “The Smile” by Ted Hughes
I'm reading Ted Hughes' "The Smile" (text version), and I'm trying to understand its plotline.
More specifically: what's the nature of the scenes wherein the poem's protagonist, the smile, goes through? and how does each scene connects to its…
HeyJude
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Did Benjamin Franklin mix up his friends?
In Chapter Two of his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin discusses a trick he and one of his friends played on the rest of their group, wherein Franklin pretended to be the author of his friend's poem.
When the time of our meeting drew nigh, Ralph…
Alex
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Is this mistake in Tolstoy's original, or just this translation?
I am reading the Vintage edition of War & Peace with the translation by Pevear & Volokhonsky. In Volume II, part I, chapter 11, the farewell dinner for Nikolai at the Rostov's is held on "the third day of Christmas" (i.e. December 27th, 1806). We…
Kevin Troy
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Is Narayan really quoting a traditional proverb, and from which Indian language/culture?
In the story "Fellow-Feeling" from R. K. Narayan's short story collection Malgudi Days (which I've been reading online), a proverb is mentioned in passing:
Rajam Iyer leaned back in his seat, reminding himself of a proverb which said that if you…
Rand al'Thor
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What is the origin of the Aullay in "The Sword in the Stone"?
In T. H. White's novel, "The Sword in the Stone", he describes a mythical creature, the Aullay:
[It was] as much bigger than an elephant as an elephant is larger than a sheep. It was a sort of horse with an elephant's trunk.
In the rest of the…
jla
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