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1500 questions
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Where does Emma Woodhouse’s family fortune come from?
The opening words of Jane Austen's Emma (1816) describe the eponymous heroine as follows: "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich ...." The novel shows very clearly how much prestige and power Emma and her father have on account of their wealth.…
verbose
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8
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Short story in which notorious safe-cracker retires but has to use old tools to save girl's life
I remember reading a short story, many years ago, about a notorious safe-cracker in the old west, who managed to accrue a nice fortune by utilizing his skills. I cannot remember the title or author, or the names of any of the characters. I remember…
NeoPolitanGames
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8
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Was Atticus's name meant to mean anything?
I am currently studying Latin, and somewhere I read about a man named Titus Pompons Atticus, and as a lover of literature, I do not like to assume that it is just a coincidence that Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird has the same name.
Was…
Matrim Cauthon
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Identification of book set in Ancient Egypt
A couple years ago, I read a book which I would like to revisit.
I don't remember much, but here's what I have.
Setting is Ancient Egypt
One of the primary characters is a Pharaoh or other reputable monarch (definitely female)
Religion is a major…
Zxyrra
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Are there any debated authorship references in Thursday Next series?
Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series is a sort of fantasy about literature. Much of the story line about the books and literary characters that appear in this series is obviously made up, but there is at least one clear reference to real-world…
Kimball
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Book set during the Black Death: nine travellers each with a secret
I read this novel in 2014, and it was probably published at least after 2000. It was set in England (I think) during the Black Death of the 14th century. I read it in English, in the UK.
The book follows a motley band of travellers who group…
Rand al'Thor
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Looking for story where a woman calls for help by pretending to be ordering meat over the phone or something
Sounds like Roald Dahl or Edgar Allan Poe, but I could be wrong. It's NOT Lamb to the Slaughter.
The woman in the story is in danger somehow by a man in her house, and she manages to call for help using the phone in a certain way; so that when she…
Mary P
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8
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Short story with color of the Taj Mahal, mother says "Death rides a fast horse behind me"
In grade school in the 1970s, I read a short story (originally published in English) which I would like to find again. I think it was assigned reading, a school book (reader) that one of the schools used. It may also have been in an old reader…
JRE
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8
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Short story where an older lady realizes that her new beau has been murdering his wives, but decides to go with it
I was reading the TV Tropes entry for The Bluebeard and it made me recall a short story (probably less than 20 pages) I read probably in the early 2000s, I think part of a mystery anthology. The protagonist is an older woman, well-off, possibly a…
Sean Duggan
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Trying to find a comic strip about "What your clothes say about you"
I recall a comic strip about the statement that your clothes make, but don't seem to be able to find it. It goes something like this:
Cartoon of a Guy with great hair, smile, and a suit.
Caption: "I'm going places so I won't be here long enough to…
candied_orange
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8
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6 answers
What does "ceremony of innocence" mean In "The Second Coming"?
The Second Coming by W.B. Yeats:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The…
user7982
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Who is the 'Immortal Hale' in William Cowper's The Task?
I was reading Book III of William Cowper's The Task today. Lines 252-260:
Such was thy wisdom, Newton, childlike sage,
Sagacious reader of the works of God,
And in his word sagacious. Such too thine,
Milton, whose genius had…
Tom Hosker
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Why would Hamlet fear suicide if he knew of life after death?
Prince Hamlet describes his fear of death in poetic phrases.
To be or not to be, that is the question: ...
To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream—aye, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
When we…
RichS
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8
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The meaning of "Lovers' Food"
This question is regarding a dialogue of Hermia in Scene 1 of Act 1 of 'The Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare where she mentions, "From lovers' food till morrow deep midnight." Please explain what the playwright refers to by "lovers'…
Aaron John Sabu
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8
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1 answer
Robert Jordan Pseudonyms?
It is known that Robert Jordan, the author of The Wheel of Time series, is a pseudonym for James Oliver Rigney, Jr. From this question, we know he used different pseudonyms for the different genres he wrote. He did this for different reasons. Of all…
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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