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Is A Supplement to the Journey to the West from the 17th century the oldest Chinese work of literature involving time travel?
A Supplement to the Journey to the West is a Chinese novel from around 1640 that was written as a type of addendum to the great classic novel Journey to the West. Journey to the West is set during the Tang dynasty (618 - 907), since it involves a…
Tsundoku
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Why does Pennywise Kill Patrick Hockstetter?
In Stephen King's IT, we are introduced to some particularly evil characters such as Beverley's husband Tom Rogan, Henry Bowers, and most notably Patrick Hockstetter. King delves into this maniacal, heartless, and excessively cruel character toward…
dstet
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8
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What does this paragraph of "An Equal Music" by Vikram Seth mean?
I'm (re-)reading "An Equal Music" by Vikram Seth and encountered the following paragraph which I do not understand.
For context, the book is written in first person perspective (although that isn't apparent in the quoted portion), the main character…
11684
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What does "have you no cacke a bed" mean?
In chapter VII of Thomas Deloney's novel Jack of Newbury an Italian merchant named Benedicke tries to woo Jone. After some time, Jone gets tired of this and tries to trick him into sleeping with a sow, making him believe he will actually be in bed…
Tsundoku
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8
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2 answers
Why does Linus say "I think you finished it" to Sally in this Sunday strip?
So in December 22nd, 1985, Charles Schulz made this following Christmas themed Sunday panel featuring Linus and Sally. Linus is reading Sally the second chapter of the Book of Luke (from the Bible), and makes a remark about how King Augustus is…
North Læraðr
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8
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What is the earliest book where bad spelling is primarily for humor value?
I've enjoyed books like Molesworth by Geoffrey Willans and The BFG by Roald Dahl, where bad spelling and grammar (the BFG's extensive writing on the dream jars) are an integral part of the joke, and it establishes the narrator as wise if not…
aschultz
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Why is Seamus Heaney's "The Cure at Troy" so often quoted in political contexts?
The Cure at Troy is Seamus Heaney's translation and adaptation of Sophocles's Philoctetes set during the Trojan War. It seems to be very often quoted by politicians: most recently by British prime minister candidate Rory Stewart, but also according…
Rand al'Thor
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3 answers
Which of these sources is right about "The Tempest"?
This is part of a quote by Ferdinand in the beginning of scene 1 of act 3 of "The Tempest":
But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my labours,
Most busy, least when I do it.
According to literaturepage.com.
But shakespeareswords.com offers…
kelvin
8
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2 answers
How is Hamlet different from a conventional Elizabethan revenge play?
It is well known that Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy established the genre of revenge tragedy in Elizabethan drama. The play contains many elements such as the appearance of a ghost, a play within the play and madness that were frequently used in…
Josef K
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Is Julián Carax based on a real author?
In The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Zafón has the main character discover a book entitled The Shadow of the Wind in the Cemetery of the Forgotten Books. This book is by a little-known author, Julián Carax, who was not very well-received…
Benjamin
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5 answers
What is the earliest work with the time-loop trope?
The film "Groundhog Day" has a plot centered around a character whose day repeats exactly the same way each day, and upon waking retains memory of the previous day. This is what I call a "time-loop," which has a full explanation on TVTropes.
What…
Andrew
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8
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What does Jorge Luis Borges mean by the library being infinite in "The Library of Babel"?
In The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges, the speaker tells us about the library with the following specification,
The distribution of the galleries is invariable. Twenty shelves, five long shelves per side, cover all the sides except two;…
Benjamin
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8
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What is the significance/symbolism of the hexagon in "The Library of Babel"?
In The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges, the speaker describes the Library, as the universe, as
The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite and perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries, with vast air shafts…
Benjamin
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8
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What are the Stephen King connections in The Dark Tower series?
There's plenty of connections to King's other works in The Dark Tower. Most notably Salem's Lot.
What other connections are there, no matter how big or small?
Devar-TTY
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What is the distinction between Imagism and Symbolism as poetic movements?
I have recently been reading about symbolism and imagism and they seem to me to be connected in that they were in some ways the opposite of each other, one being the movement to add greater symbolic meaning to poetry and the other being a movement…
Benjamin
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