Questions tagged [plot-element]
Questions asking for an explanation of an element of the plot of a work of fiction.
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Why did blood build the House of Shaws in Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson?
Does anyone know why allegedly blood built the House of Shaws?
My dim memories of watching Kidnapped (1960) and reading the novel long ago include someone warning David Balfour that the House of Shaws ...
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What is an inciting incident?
I've been struggling to find a clear definition of what exactly an inciting incident is.
According to Masterclass, an inciting incident is:
The inciting incident of a story is the event that sets the ...
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What former rulers of the region were mentioned by Gomez in *The Addams Family* (1965) by Jack Sharkey?
What former rulers of the region were mentioned by Gomez in The Addams Family (1965) by Jack Sharkey?
I don't remember whether there was any location given for the Addams Family mansion in the series ...
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Did Jascha Heifetz really have a connection to Odessa, as suggested in Babel's 'The Awakening'?
Babel's "The Awakening" is set in Odessa circa 1910 or so, and begins with all the parents dreaming of their children being discovered as musical prodigies:
And sure enough, over the last ...
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Who is the protagonist and antagonist in the myth of Creation of Seasons by Dene?
I am a high school student who has to do a presentation on a myth. I have to explain the details of the myth such as the plot, conflict etc. It is very straightforward. Here is the myth.
There are 2 &...
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What is the "YOU LED THEM TO US??!!!" plot device called?
I want to know what the plot device is called where the stumbling protagonist has a brush encounter with the antagonist who lets them free, so that they lead them to the "motherland" / "...
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What was the clue that let Carla find the missing papers in The Poet's House?
In Jean Thompson's novel, The Poet's House, towards the end, the heroine, Carla, is looking for some missing papers:
(the last poems that Mathias wrote before he died, and that Viridian—his lover—hid ...
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How did Lusitania survive before Novinha became a xenobiologist?
In the beginning of Speaker for the Dead it is revealed that, due to the deaths of Gusto and Cida, Lusitania was without a xenobiologist. In Xenocide, it is revealed that Novinha
But, between the ...
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In 'The Sign of the Four', what happened to the Sikh accomplices at the end?
Jonathan Small always maintained how he was loyal throughout to his other three Sikh/Indian accomplices. The last we read of them was when they all met with Sholto and Mortsan and told them about the ...
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Did Satan feel genuine remorse for his actions and compassion for his subordinates?
Related: Is John Milton's Lucifer a tragic hero?
Towards the end of book 1 (starting around line 600 in my edition), Satan addresses his followers.
Above them all th' Arch-Angel: but his face
...
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Attitudes among literary critics to literary fiction featuring closed time loops? [closed]
I am looking for an explanation, with examples and citations, of the attitudes of professional literary critics1 in established publications2 towards published fiction3 involving a closed time loop4.
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user14066
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Explain the plot of Georgette Heyer’s ‘Linckes’ Great Case’
Georgette Heyer is best known for her Regency romances, but early in her career:
Georgette decided to try her hand at detective fiction. In March 1923 ‘Linckes’ Great Case’ appeared in The Detective ...
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In Agatha Christie's "Third Girl" how exactly does this murder work?
Norma Restarick goes to Poirot saying that she believes she has committed a murder, and has gaps in her memory where she can't remember what she was doing. We later find out that this is because she's ...
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Why is there a courtroom scene?
The Merchant of Venice, Act 4 begins with a courtroom scene. During this scene, the contract between Antonio and Shylock is discussed.
But why is there a courtroom scene at all? Was every contract ...
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What is the origin of the plot device where a character changes negative views about someone after spending time with them?
I feel like this is a common story element. Someone has a negative view about a person/group of people, and their worldview is changed after they are forced to spend time with that person/group. This ...
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Are any works of literature known to implement all of Polti's Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations?
Somewhere behind us in the circuits of time, one of my college Lit teachers casually mentioned the Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations during a seemingly improvisational moment in a lecture she was giving. ...
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Why did Scott choose to include so many epigraphs in Ivanhoe that give away the plot?
I'm reading Ivanhoe right now and very much enjoying it. Each chapter in Ivanhoe has an epigraph, often very closely related to the plot of the chapter, meaning that it is often very easy to surmise ...
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In Fight Club, why does Tyler get fired from projectionist union?
I had a hard time understanding the logic behind Tyler getting fired. Here is the context:
For three years Tyler had been doing film buildup and breakdown for a chain of movie houses. A movie ...
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Was the Charles Calthrop plot-element in The Day of the Jackal an example of pure coincidence or good detection?
Frederick Forsyth's 1971 novel "The Day of the Jackal" remains an immortal political thriller that defined the 'assassination novel' in popular consciousness. What has always intrigued me is ...
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