Questions tagged [inspiration]
Questions about the inspiration behind a work of literature, or an object or concept in a work: what it was based on, or where the idea came from.
144
questions
12
votes
1
answer
483
views
Who was Long John Silver based on?
In his little-known preface to Treasure Island (which I discovered while answering this question), Robert Louis Stevenson wrote rather persuasively on the possibilities for how a fictional character ...
- 69.2k
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Which traits of Milton's Lucifer from "Paradise Lost" did Neil Gaiman carry to "The Sandman"?
Lucifer Morningstar, the Vertigo Comics character, was created by Neil Gaiman with influence from John Milton's Paradise Lost - at least that's what is written on his Wikipedia page, and even on the ...
- 8,185
10
votes
1
answer
842
views
Are the guardians of Dream's palace based on mythology? Are they symbolic?
In chapter 3 of Season of Mists (The Sandman #24), there are three creatures shown guarding the gates of Dream's palace (left). The lion refers to the whole group as "Gatekeepers" (p 20-21).
...
- 5,840
9
votes
1
answer
610
views
Was Shakespeare inspired by Olaus Magnus when writing Macbeth?
One important plot point in Macbeth is that the King feels invincible due to the prophecy that
Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come ...
- 3,393
8
votes
1
answer
720
views
Was the Stung Man based on an existing character from Egyptian mythology?
The Stung Man is the antagonist of Book of the Dead, the first TombQuest book. He's got an... Interesting backstory.
The Stung Man wasn't called the Stung Man at that point, not yet. Everyone gets ...
- 22k
9
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Is the character of Randolph Henry Ash based on any particular Victorian poet?
The novel Possession contains some spot-on mimicry of several different writing styles, including lengthy poems by two fictional Victorian poets. The character of RH Ash in particular feels as if ...
- 5,018
13
votes
1
answer
638
views
Was Stevenson's Treasure Island influenced by Poe?
I read on Wikipedia that:
During the same period, Edgar Allan Poe wrote, "MS Found in a Bottle" (1833) and the intriguing tale of buried treasure, "The Gold-Bug" (1843). All of these works ...
- 69.2k
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Are keteks based on some form of real-life poetry?
In Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive novels, the chapters are grouped into parts, the titles of the parts combining to form a ketek. For example, in the first book, The Way of Kings:
Above ...
- 6,792
5
votes
1
answer
182
views
Where did the name Nimitseahpah come from?
In the January 2004 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, they ran a story called "Nimitseahpah", by Nancy Etchemendy. 'Nimitseahpah' is the name of the Paiute statue that's part of ...
- 22k
5
votes
1
answer
759
views
How much does "The Parable of the Old Man and the Young" differ from the original Bible story?
The poem "The Parable of the Old Man and the Young", usually attributed to Wilfred Owen although much of it was written by Siegfried Sassoon, is a slight retelling of the Biblical story of Abraham and ...
- 69.2k
36
votes
2
answers
19k
views
Was there a reason Victor Hugo chose 24601 as the number for Jean Valjean?
24601 has developed into being an iconic part of both the Les Miserables book and musical. Was that number special to him, or was it simply a random number he chose (I doubt it)?
- 6,548
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What were the inspirations for the Forsaken's names?
I realized that some of the Forsaken names were familiar to me (Ishamael and Ishmael from Moby Dick, Asmodean and Asmodeus the demon). Did Jordan take inspiration for the names for all the Forsaken, ...
- 6,548
15
votes
1
answer
689
views
Was Théoden's revival inspired by Mark Twain?
I was reading Mark Twain's Joan of Arc and Joan converses with the Dauphin of France.
The talk between Joan and the King was long and earnest [...] and has been set down in [...] testimony at the ...
- 1,013
8
votes
1
answer
497
views
Was Neil Gaiman influenced by Heinrich Heine?
In my experience, Neil Gaiman's understanding of mythology and literature is exceptionally profound, and he is able to render stories with mythological resonance surpassing the work of most of his ...
- 4,160
22
votes
0
answers
446
views
Is the treatment of Jar Jar Binks in Aftermath: Empire's End a reflection of audience treatment?
In one of the Interlude scenes in the book Star Wars Aftermath: Empire's End, a child interacts with Jar Jar Binks, and gives more details about how the adults don't like him due to their beliefs that ...
- 329
2
votes
2
answers
311
views
Where did the spells come from in The Magic Grandfather?
In The Magic Grandfather, by Jay Williams (published 1979), there are several spells that do certain things. For instance, Aldoragamba luro vopo vir voarchadumia is a transportation spell. ...
- 22k
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Who was (were?) the inspiration for Carrie?
The Wikipedia article on Stephen King's Carrie says that Carrie is based on two girls in King's schools. It has this quote, with a "citation needed" attached:
She was a very peculiar girl ...
- 6,792
4
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why was Ginny Weasley named Ginny Weasley?
The official publishing company of J.K Rowling named Pottermore have revealed (see here) that there are/were interesting and well thought etymology of characters in Harry Potter book series. It does ...
- 348
1
vote
1
answer
214
views
Does Indiana Jones have a literary inspiration or equivalent?
I am aware of speculation that Indiana Jones is possibly based on one or more hybrids of historical individuals, but does the character have a literary forerunner?
- 145
8
votes
0
answers
267
views
Is there a specific tuition system that the University's was based on?
In Patrick Rothfuss' The Kingkiller Chronicle, students at the University are asked to pay a variable amount for their tuition per term, based mostly on their performance in an interview in front of ...
- 5,840
1
vote
0
answers
259
views
Was Jonah Wizard based on any specific celebrity?
In the The 39 Clues series, Jonah Wizard is the Cahill's famous face - he's a star hip-hop musician, and he gets mobbed everywhere. He's a celebrity - he flies private planes, has tons of money, etc. ...
- 22k
10
votes
3
answers
3k
views
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 ...
- 69.2k
14
votes
2
answers
227
views
Is this fictional event of a ship becoming airborne because of a storm based on a real event?
In the book Nation, by Terry Pratchett, a sailing ship becomes airborne from the force of a storm, and is pushed inland quite a distance, before becoming lodged in trees. Is this possible? If so, are ...
- 634
9
votes
1
answer
724
views
How much of The Song of Wandering Aengus by Yeats is based on Irish folklore?
Yeats was a keen student of Irish folklore and it is clear that the titular character in his poem The Song of Wandering Aengus is based on the pre-Christian Celtic god of love, youth and poetry.
...
- 20k
9
votes
1
answer
458
views
How did Ibsen's writing in A Doll's House influence the James Joyce character Molly Bloom?
How did Ibsen's writing in A Doll's House influence the James Joyce character Molly Bloom? Richard Ellmann in his book James Joyce mentions Joyce reading and getting influenced by Ibsen many times:
...
- 396
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
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 ...
- 5,840
107
votes
5
answers
25k
views
Why was 1984 set in 1984?
Was there any special meaning to the year he chose? I originally thought that he just selected a date in the future but now I am not so sure. Has George Orwell or his editor ever commented on the ...
- 6,548
15
votes
1
answer
961
views
Were R.A. Salvatore's works inspired by real world D&D campaigns?
I have been reading the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore. I am currently half way through Stream of Silver, which is in book two of the collection. While reading this, I noticed that it ...
- 1,733
16
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Were other characters apart from Alice inspired by real life people?
It is a commonly known fact that Lewis Carroll based Alice in his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass on Alice Liddell, after she asked him to tell him a story.
But were ...
- 6,170
11
votes
1
answer
250
views
Was Artemis Fowl based on any specific prodigy?
Artemis Fowl, (anti)hero of the eponymous novel series by Eoin Colfer, is a self-described criminal genius and prodigy. He is known to have broken numerous age records, perhaps most notably that of ...
- 69.2k
7
votes
1
answer
361
views
Was Susanna Clarke using any particular author's style for "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell"?
Susanna Clarke's excellent novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is written in a very convincing (at least to me) "19th-century literature" style. Not only the language used by the characters but ...
- 69.2k
6
votes
1
answer
120
views
How many works of Robert Silverberg's were based on Asimov's stories?
It's well known that Silverberg wrote novels based on some of Asimov's stories.
For example, The Child of Time was based off of The Ugly Little Boy, and Nightfall was based off the Asimov story of ...
user72
18
votes
1
answer
700
views
Are any Sherlock Holmes antagonists besides Moriarty based on real people?
I've heard that Arthur Conan Doyle's depiction of Professor Moriarty was inspired by several real-life figures, including Adam Worth. Given Doyle's wide-ranging set of villains and antagonists in the ...
- 5,854
13
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is the foundation of the religion in Watership Down?
In Watership Down, El-ahrairah is essentially the father of all rabbits. He interacts with Prince Rainbow who seems to be a god.
From where do the religious history and/or deities in the story come?
- 1,329
19
votes
2
answers
1k
views
To what extent did Agatha Christie base Captain Hastings on Dr. Watson?
I've noticed that there are quite a few parallels between Agatha Christie's Captain Arthur Hastings and Arthur Conan Doyle's Dr. John Watson:
Both served in the British military (Hasting in World War ...
- 5,854
15
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Was Neil Gaiman's Stardust influenced by C.S. Lewis?
A central theme in Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel Stardust is that stars, when they fall from the sky, take on the shape of human beings. One of the main characters is a fallen star who ends up living on ...
- 69.2k
18
votes
1
answer
554
views
What did Suzanne Collins base the Hunger Games on?
Authors tend to pull a lot of ideas or write stories based on other works. After reading the novel Battle Royal, I saw lots of similarities between it and the Hunger Games. Do we know of anything that ...
- 1,303
5
votes
0
answers
74
views
Did Timrod inspire Dylan before 'Modern Times'?
Bob Dylan's album Modern Times has many passages famously inspired by (some say plagiarised from) the poetry of Henry Timrod. Do any of Dylan's earlier works also clearly reflect the influence of ...
- 4,884
15
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Was Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos based on the story beats of the same Keats poems?
I've read Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos, composed of the books Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, and Rise of Endymion.
The series pays considerable homage to the life and works of the 1800s poet ...
- 380
-1
votes
1
answer
570
views
Did a specific person inspire Lord Byron's poem "She Walks in Beauty"?
Did a specific person inspire Lord Byron's poem "She Walks in Beauty"?
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
Lord Byron's poem is a classic. Did someone ...
- 285
14
votes
2
answers
718
views
What inspired the writing of Sredni Vashtar?
Of the many short stories by Saki, I found Sredni Vashtar to be one of the darkest. While many of his stories are morbid, Sredni Vashtar has a young boy praying for the death of his guardian to ...
- 6,792
9
votes
0
answers
176
views
Was Isidora's fate in Melmoth the Wanderer directly inspired by Faust?
When reading Charles Robert Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer I couldn't help but notice that Isidora's fate largely resembled Gretchen's in Goethe's Faust and especially the endings of both storylines ...
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
From where did David Foster Wallace draw inspiration for writing style and technique?
DFW has a peculiar writing style. For example, in his essay, Authority and American Usage, he makes use of a colloquial form of writing which is often repeated in his other essays. An example of this ...
user80
29
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Did J. K. Rowling base platform 9 3/4 on the Gump?
In the Harry Potter series, there is platform 9 ¾ in Kings Cross Station. You travel through this place to go to a magical place.
In The Secret of Platform 13, by Eva Ibbotson, (which is ...
- 22k