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How long have the cantillation marks been around?
Over the whole Jewish Bible, there are cantillation marks that denote how the text is supposed to be chanted. The sounds differ between places, such as between the Ashkenazi and the Sephardic communities. However, as far as I can tell, the marks are…
Mithical
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What is the meaning of Christmas in In Memoriam A.H.H.?
While reading Tennyson's In Memoriam A.H.H., written in honor of his close friend Arthur Henry Hallam, I noticed that Christmas is a recurring theme. In appears several times:
Sections XXVIII - XXX, from "The time draws near the birth of Christ" to…
HDE 226868
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What section of literary theory does "pure" analysis fall into?
A lot of literary criticism takes into account historical contexts, and the relation of the text to different philosophical outlooks, stuff like Marxism, etc.
I'm interested in analysis which is done purely on the basis of what is in the text --…
Airdish
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What is the symbolism of the conch in Lord of the Flies?
In the Lord of the Flies, the conch is shattered when Piggy dies. Before that, it was held by Ralph, the de facto leader of the boys. What does the conch symbolize?
Count Dooku
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Did Jack's tribe view themselves as savages?
In Golding's Lord of the Flies, Jack's tribe is clearly meant to be portrayed as savages. However, it was never clear (to me at least) whether they considered themselves savages.
Did Jack's tribe view themselves as savages?
*note: as recommended, I…
Matrim Cauthon
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What was the irony of the end of Lord of The Flies?
People keep telling me there is irony at the end of Lord of The Flies, specifically during the conversation with the captain of the ship.
What was ironic about that scene?
Matrim Cauthon
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German mystery novel(s) where stereotypically-German "Johann" works for an intelligence agency with two assistants
My teacher recently told us that he has written multiple(?) mystery novels, but he won't tell us what it's called, and they're published under a pseudonym.
This is all I know about the book:
It was most likely written in German. (A student in his…
Equivalent-Exchange
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Is there a canonical order to HP Lovecraft's work?
I've been a big fan of Lovecraft's works of literature and used them as inspiration for a lot of my own writing, but I've been unable to find a proper consensus on how his stories all fit together or if there even is a true canon.
Part of my…
SamsyTheUnicorn
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What concept of love does Tolstoy suggest in Anna Karenina?
I know one of the characteristics of realistic works is they are mostly formulated as some independent studies of the life of society but, at the same time, I realise that the dominant approach to art in that time was to see it pragmatically, as a…
foggy
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Did the Brotherhood really exist?
In George Orwell's 1984, there is a mention of a secretive organization named Brotherhood whose main aim is to rebel against the Big Brother, and the Party in general.
In the later part of the prose, we find out that O' Brien was actually working…
CinCout
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In Foucault's Pendulum, which names are allusions to the real world, and which are not?
Foucault's Pendulum has a litany of character names that intrigue me. I wonder where many of them come from.
For example, Casaubon, the name of one of the main characters, seems like it comes from Isaac Casaubon, a French philosopher. While I'm…
user80
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"Remembrance Day" in "Jude the Obscure"
In Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure (1894-95) some of the characters meet in Christminster (Oxford) on "Remembrance Day". For example:
"The place seems gay," said Sue. "Why—it is Remembrance Day!—Jude—how
sly of you—you came to-day on…
rlandster
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How do Pupp's remarks connect with Krazy's in Krazy Kat, 25 July 1936?
This question is about the same Krazy Kat strip (25 July 1936) as in Krazy language in Krazy Kat, 25 July 1936, in which Krazy is making a lot of classical references and Pupp is responding:
Krazy: Regular, the romin - insulting the kottage injins…
Rand al'Thor
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What is the meaning of "To Autumn"?
Many poems are filled with metaphors and underlying ideas about deeper things and more broad issues or feelings. I personally feel that "To Marguerite" is an example of this, where the poem is bursting with stylistic devices, each of which…
Airdish
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Was the N.I.C.E. director modelled on H. G. Wells?
Wikipedia claims that the character of Horace Jules in C. S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength - ostensibly the Director and boss of the N.I.C.E. organisation, in reality a figurehead manipulated by those truly in the know - was
in part a caricature…
Rand al'Thor
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