All Questions
6,560
questions
108
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 ...
- 6,588
91
votes
2
answers
14k
views
How do we know Humpty Dumpty was an egg?
As depicted in 1870 by James William Elliott's National Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs, the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty" goes as follows:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great ...
- 3,929
83
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Snoopy can balance on an edge atop his doghouse. Is any reason given for this?
In Peanuts, Snoopy sleeps and does other activities on top of his doghouse. Since the doghouse has a pointy roof, shouldn't he fall down? Why doesn't the below happen every time?
Is there a reason ...
- 1,409
67
votes
4
answers
11k
views
What is Hobbes?
In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, Calvin is a boy. He has a tiger friend, who's... a little ambiguous. Is he a doll or a real tiger or a figment of his imagination? To Calvin he ...
- 23.3k
64
votes
7
answers
13k
views
Has copy protection ever been used in physical books?
"Digital rights management", DRM, is almost a standard in the e-book industry. Have copyright holders ever tried to protect physical books from scanning, for example in a way how banknotes are ...
- 1,089
64
votes
2
answers
34k
views
Did Arthur Conan Doyle code Holmes and Watson as a gay couple?
Given the Victorian era, a writer couldn't deliberately create an openly (or even quietly) gay couple for public literary consumption. But gay people existed, and had romances. Arthur Conan Doyle knew ...
56
votes
3
answers
18k
views
Why is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy referred to as H2G2?
I've often heard The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy referred to as H2G2 but never really understood why. I wondered whether anyone actually knew or whether it was just adopted unquestioningly.
- 941
55
votes
2
answers
12k
views
Where did the idea of a "true name" come from?
There's a common trope in Western fantasy that, up until now, I've sort of taken for granted: the "true name."
This is the idea that all things have true names that are somehow more closely linked to ...
user80
52
votes
2
answers
18k
views
Why was The Call of the Wild banned?
I periodically see Jack London's The Call of the Wild on banned book lists, but I'm not sure why it would be – it doesn't seem that controversial. I found ALA's page cataloguing the reasons given for ...
- 2,062
52
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Why is there so much technical detail of whaling included in Moby-Dick?
One of the peculiarities of Moby-Dick is that it includes large quantities of information about the science of whales and the practice of whaling. Whole chapters are dedicated to describing the ...
- 21k
51
votes
7
answers
11k
views
What is Tom Bombadil's importance in The Lord of the Rings?
Tom Bombadil is definitely one of the weirdest characters in all of The Lord of the Rings, he just comes out of nowhere, stumbling upon Frodo and Sam while singing. His actions are just incredibly ...
- 553
49
votes
3
answers
11k
views
Does Dr. Manhattan have free will?
In Alan Moore's Watchmen, Doctor Manhattan is a superhero with godlike powers, including the ability to view his past, present, and future simultaneously. Manhattan believes that everything that ...
- 5,930
49
votes
1
answer
2k
views
History of Spoilers
I live in the USA, where people react poorly if you spoil a move or a book for them. However, the question What is the benefit in the Prologue "spoiling" the play in Romeo + Juliet? raises ...
user111
48
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Did Gaiman and Pratchett troll an interviewer who thought they were religious fanatics?
TVTropes says:
In real life: Gaiman and Pratchett did a radio interview when the book came out, and slowly realized that the interviewer wasn't aware that the book was fictional, and thought they ...
- 71k
47
votes
6
answers
9k
views
How did Wonka's Golden Ticket sweepstakes ensure that children would win?
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka says
I don't want a grown-up person at all. A grownup won't listen to me; he won't learn. He will try to do things his own way and not mine. So I had to ...
- 993
45
votes
1
answer
9k
views
What message is Bradbury trying to convey in Fahrenheit 451?
Fahrenheit 451 is one of Ray Bradbury's most famous works and possibly one of the most famous books in modern times.
In my experience most people who read the book believe that Bradbury was warning ...
- 3,929
43
votes
2
answers
11k
views
Was the title "The Lord of the Rings" picked on purpose to be ambiguous?
In one sense, it might refer to "the lord of" the rings, as in the person or entity currently in possession of The One ring.
In another way, it could (IMO) mean that The One ring is "...
- 439
42
votes
2
answers
17k
views
Why does "Watchmen" use the 9-panel grid?
Watchmen, the 1986 comic written by Alan Moore and drawn/lettered by Dave Gibbons, is recogniseable (among other features) for the schematic of its comic pages - they all use the 9-panel grid:
Image ...
- 8,365
41
votes
3
answers
72k
views
Why is a raven like a writing desk?
"Mad Hatter: 'Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'
...
'Have you guessed the riddle yet?' the Hatter said, turning to Alice again.
'No, I give it up,' Alice replied: 'What’s the answer?'
'I ...
- 6,198
39
votes
7
answers
9k
views
The author of a literary work disagrees with critics about meaning—who's right?
I've just come up with a conjecture on what a piece of literature means, but the author has said that they didn't mean for their work to suggest that.
For example, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is ...
- 1,354
39
votes
3
answers
15k
views
Does Snape talk in code?
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Snape asks Harry many questions during his first Potions class.
The first thing Snape asks Harry is
“Potter! What would I get if I added powdered ...
- 517
38
votes
5
answers
13k
views
Why is Aragorn so weird to Pippin when they make their final farewell before going back to the Shire?
But the Palantir of Orthanc the King will keep, to see what is passing in his realm, and what his servants are doing. For do not forget, Peregrin Took, that you are a knight of Gondor, and I do not ...
- 397
38
votes
11
answers
26k
views
Should I read The Silmarillion before or after reading The Lord of the Rings?
I spent an extensive amount of time as an undergrad writing about and researching The Hobbit, especially in terms of Tolkien's famous essay on Beowulf. Getting a sense of what inspired Tolkien greatly ...
- 1,365
37
votes
3
answers
4k
views
In 1984, why did O'Brien wait so long?
In Orwell's 1984, O'Brien knows well that Julia and Winston are enemies of the Party when they come to his house to pledge their allegiance to the Brotherhood. Why doesn't he immediately arrest them ...
- 4,387
37
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is there anything that definitely confirms that Svidrigailov actually committed murder in "Crime and Punishment?"
Is there any proof that Svidrigailov actually committed murder in Crime and Punishment, of either Philip (his servant) or Marfa Petrovna (his wife)?
By proof, I mean either a nuanced passage I might ...
JNat♦
- 719
36
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Meaning/translation of title "The Light Fantastic" by Terry Pratchett
I have read The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett in English and always interpreted the title as "The Fantastic (adjective) light (noun)". Mostly because I do not see "Fantastic" ...
- 471
36
votes
2
answers
21k
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)?
- 6,588
36
votes
3
answers
24k
views
Why do many Korean folk tales start with "back when tigers smoked"?
I've read in a few sources that the Korean equivalent of the "once upon a time ..." which often begins English folk stories is something like "back when tigers smoked ..." or "...
- 71k
36
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is Judaism represented in the Narnia books?
In C.S. Lewis's Narnia books, it's very clear that the Narnians are meant to represent Christianity, with Aslan symbolising Jesus (in fact, Aslan is literally Jesus in-universe), while the Calormenes ...
- 71k
35
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Why has Bill Watterson ('Calvin and Hobbes') been retired for so long?
Calvin and Hobbes had a 10-year run (from November 18, 1985 to December 31, 1995). Bill Watterson was born July 5, 1958, meaning that he was 28 when the strip started, 38 when it concluded, and is now ...
35
votes
1
answer
41k
views
George Orwell's 1984 banned for contradictory reasons?
The book 1984, being about suppression of information itself, was banned in the USSR for being anti-communist, but it also was banned in the USA for being pro-communist.
Is there any analysis where ...
- 1,195
34
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Did H. G. Wells use an emoticon in “The Time Machine”?
Emoticons were introduced in 1982. Today I started reading The Time Machine and I saw this line in the first page:
And he put it to us in this way—marking the points with a lean
forefinger—as we sat ...
- 443
34
votes
1
answer
20k
views
Is there any textual evidence to support that Dumbledore was gay?
JK Rowling announced in 2007 to an audience at Carnegie Hall that Albus Dumbledore was in fact, gay and always had been...
Q: Did Dumbledore, who believed in the prevailing power of love, ever fall ...
- 3,929
34
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Did Shakespeare write his own stage directions?
It's well known that Shakespeare had no part in publishing the text of his own plays - indeed, many of them were only published posthumously. I've read that a significant proportion of his plays came ...
- 71k
34
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How many of Poe's stories are interconnected?
I'm currently (slowly!) working through the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe. Three of his stories are detective tales featuring Dupin, a possible inspiration for the more famous fictional detective ...
- 71k
33
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Did Lenore merely leave or is she dead?
Edgar Allen Poe's poem The Raven has the narrator mourning the loss of his love Lenore. But it's actually not entirely clear to me if Lenore merely left the narrator (for whatever relationship-related ...
32
votes
4
answers
11k
views
How could sixty cents of $1.87 be in pennies?
The first three sentences of O. Henry's Gift of the Magi are as follows:
One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it
was in pennies.
I've always wondered about this. This ...
- 540
32
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Is Babar an African or Asian elephant?
As a child I remember enjoying the Babar picture books about the eponymous elephant and his escapades. Now, many years later, it occurs to me to wonder what kind of elephants Babar and his people were:...
- 71k
32
votes
3
answers
21k
views
What is the symbolism of Atticus killing the mad dog?
So in To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus kills a mad dog. He does it with one shot.
Is there some more symbolism to this or is it just an event?
- 707
32
votes
1
answer
13k
views
Why is Snape so fond of Malfoy?
In the end of Harry Potter, we learn that
This however, does not account for why Snape shows favoritism to Draco before the Dark Lord resurrects (after which it is relatively obvious why). I am ...
- 6,588
32
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Has the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" ever truly appeared in a Sherlock Holmes book?
A famous phrase attributed to Sherlock Holmes is "Elementary, my dear Watson" or "Elementary, dear Watson"
Has this phrase ever occurred in a Sherlock Holmes book?
If yes, in which novel or story ...
- 873
32
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What does Mark Twain mean by "cheers and a tiger"?
I know about the big stripey cat, but what is "a tiger" in this context:
...finishing up with cheers and a tiger for "Hadleyburg purity and our eighteen immortal representatives of it.&...
31
votes
3
answers
11k
views
Meaning of a 19 century joke printed in a newspaper, with punchline "Oh, mother, what a good job the cat’s a black one"
From a 19th century newspaper:
A family who had the misfortune to lose their father were discussing what mourning would be required, when the youngest, a child of six, said :
"Oh, mother, what a ...
- 2,829
31
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Why did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle decide to kill off this character?
In the short story "The Final Problem", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle made the decision to kill off Sherlock Holmes (although he did bring him back again in the story of "The Empty House"). This was met with ...
- 23.3k
31
votes
2
answers
17k
views
Was Odysseus considered unfaithful to his wife in the Odyssey?
Penelope is portrayed throughout the story to be virtuous when it comes to men, meaning that she holds out hope for her husband's safety 20 years after she saw him and had no other relationships in ...
- 6,588
31
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Are there any recorded discrepancies between The Odyssey as oral tradition and The Odyssey as Homer transcribed it?
The Odyssey began as oral tradition, and was later transcribed by someone we now call "Homer." Disregarding the Homeric Question concerning the identity of the person who transcribed these works, it ...
user80
30
votes
3
answers
24k
views
Why don't Mr. Bennet's daughters get to inherit the Longbourn estate?
In the book Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Collins comments that Lady Catherine de Bourgh's daughter will one day inherit the de Bourgh fortune. From previous chapters, we know that the five daughters of ...
- 544
30
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is the pun in Kipling's poem "The Three-Decker"?
In the poem The Three-Decker, by Rudyard Kipling, there is one line where the meter is slightly different from all the other lines. I Googled that line, not expecting to find anything, and Google ...
- 11.6k
29
votes
2
answers
16k
views
Why is the UK called Airstrip One?
In 1984, London is the chief city of the province Airstrip One (which consists of the UK), which is a part of the superstate Oceania. Is there a reason why it's called Airstrip One?
- 4,387
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 ...
- 23.3k