User Matt Thrower

46 votes

2 answers

7k views

Why is there so much technical detail of whaling included in Moby-Dick?

moby-dick herman-melville

asked Feb 7, 2017 at 17:26

22 votes

3 answers

19k views

If Tolkien disliked allegory, why are there so many allegorical readings of The Lord of the Rings?

asked Jan 26, 2017 at 10:25

16 votes

4 answers

5k views

What is the meaning of the epilogue in Blood Meridian?

cormac-mccarthy blood-meridian

asked Jan 19, 2017 at 9:22

15 votes

4 answers

4k views

Why are Freud and Lacan still seen as important to literary criticism when their theories are discredited?

psychoanalysis jacques-lacan literary-theory sigmund-freud

asked May 6 at 11:30

14 votes

1 answer

519 views

In Wind in the Willows, why is Mole's garden full of Italian heroes?

kenneth-grahame the-wind-in-the-willows

asked Feb 20, 2017 at 10:05

13 votes

1 answer

396 views

Are the inconsistencies in Harry Potter symbolic or allegorical?

j-k-rowling harry-potter allegory

asked Jul 7, 2017 at 11:11

13 votes

4 answers

805 views

What is the purpose of all the lists in chapter 12 of Joyce's Ulysses?

james-joyce ulysses

asked Apr 4, 2018 at 18:49

11 votes

1 answer

278 views

In Ulysses, why does Stephen finally decide not to stay with Bloom?

character-analysis james-joyce ulysses

asked Aug 28, 2018 at 10:43

11 votes

2 answers

261 views

For works translated by the original author, how common is it for additional translations to exist? What might these translation add?

translation

asked Jan 23, 2017 at 14:39

10 votes

1 answer

594 views

Were the Just William stories written for adults or children?

genre just-william richmal-crompton

asked Jul 3, 2017 at 15:37

10 votes

1 answer

10k views

What is the relationship between Heart of Darkness and The Hollow Men?

poetry t-s-eliot joseph-conrad

asked Oct 9, 2017 at 15:57

9 votes

1 answer

691 views

Why is there so little character to the character of Shadow in American Gods?

character-analysis neil-gaiman american-gods

asked Dec 1, 2017 at 9:19

9 votes

1 answer

531 views

Is the impenetrability of Chapter 14 of Ulysses deliberate, or a consequence of its stylistic pastiches?

james-joyce ulysses

asked Apr 7, 2018 at 11:40

9 votes

1 answer

717 views

In The Mezzotint by M. R. James, what is a "Door Bible"?

the-bible

asked Nov 1, 2018 at 10:05

9 votes

1 answer

246 views

Did Shakespeare's audience believe Measure for Measure to be realistic?

william-shakespeare realism measure-for-measure

asked Jan 19, 2017 at 11:16

9 votes

1 answer

782 views

In Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, what is the purpose of this character's resurrection?

jonathan-strange-and-mr-norrell susanna-clarke

asked Feb 8, 2017 at 10:07

9 votes

2 answers

450 views

Why was Welsh nationalist poet RS Thomas so critical of the Welsh people?

poetry r-s-thomas

asked Feb 14, 2017 at 14:04

9 votes

1 answer

657 views

How much of The Song of Wandering Aengus by Yeats is based on Irish folklore?

poetry inspiration myths william-butler-yeats

asked Feb 15, 2017 at 9:25

9 votes

1 answer

860 views

Why is there so much stream of consciousness in Ulysses?

james-joyce ulysses

asked May 2, 2017 at 9:44

8 votes

1 answer

128 views

Why is there so much legalese in Egil's Saga?

scandinavian-literature

asked May 2, 2017 at 10:50

8 votes

1 answer

325 views

How do the Silmarils solve the puzzle of the Sampo?

j-r-r-tolkien myths the-silmarillion

asked Apr 20, 2017 at 12:23

7 votes

2 answers

1k views

In what ways is The Left Hand of Darkness a feminist novel?

ursula-le-guin the-left-hand-of-darkness

asked May 17, 2017 at 9:38

7 votes

1 answer

278 views

Why is the study of Philology in decline?

history-of-literature philology

asked Mar 8, 2017 at 10:03

7 votes

2 answers

569 views

Which real-life languages other than English, Welsh and Old English/Norse did Tolkien draw on for naming things?

j-r-r-tolkien the-lord-of-the-rings

asked Mar 19, 2017 at 16:57

7 votes

1 answer

165 views

Are the comic elements of Conrad's The Secret Agent intentional?

joseph-conrad comedy

asked Jan 19, 2017 at 13:52

7 votes

0 answers

50 views

Is The Owl Service sexist in its negative portrayals of women?

politics the-owl-service alan-garner

asked Apr 9, 2018 at 11:24

7 votes

1 answer

107 views

How can we reconcile the bareness of Shakespearean stages with the complex stage directions of The Tempest?

william-shakespeare theater the-tempest

asked May 14, 2020 at 7:59

7 votes

3 answers

994 views

In Macbeth, why is Fleance 'scaped?

william-shakespeare wording-choice macbeth

asked Dec 7, 2020 at 10:38

7 votes

1 answer

232 views

What's the significance of The Idiot in Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian?

character-analysis symbolism cormac-mccarthy blood-meridian

asked Jun 13, 2021 at 14:30

6 votes

1 answer

1k views

What point is the end of The Owl Service trying to make?

politics alan-garner the-owl-service

asked Mar 29, 2018 at 20:54

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49 Questions

Why is there so much technical detail of whaling included in Moby-Dick?

If Tolkien disliked allegory, why are there so many allegorical readings of The Lord of the Rings?

What is the meaning of the epilogue in Blood Meridian?

Why are Freud and Lacan still seen as important to literary criticism when their theories are discredited?

In Wind in the Willows, why is Mole's garden full of Italian heroes?

Are the inconsistencies in Harry Potter symbolic or allegorical?

What is the purpose of all the lists in chapter 12 of Joyce's Ulysses?

In Ulysses, why does Stephen finally decide not to stay with Bloom?

For works translated by the original author, how common is it for additional translations to exist? What might these translation add?

Were the Just William stories written for adults or children?

What is the relationship between Heart of Darkness and The Hollow Men?

Why is there so little character to the character of Shadow in American Gods?

Is the impenetrability of Chapter 14 of Ulysses deliberate, or a consequence of its stylistic pastiches?

In The Mezzotint by M. R. James, what is a "Door Bible"?

Did Shakespeare's audience believe Measure for Measure to be realistic?

In Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, what is the purpose of this character's resurrection?

Why was Welsh nationalist poet RS Thomas so critical of the Welsh people?

How much of The Song of Wandering Aengus by Yeats is based on Irish folklore?

Why is there so much stream of consciousness in Ulysses?

Why is there so much legalese in Egil's Saga?

How do the Silmarils solve the puzzle of the Sampo?

In what ways is The Left Hand of Darkness a feminist novel?

Why is the study of Philology in decline?

Which real-life languages other than English, Welsh and Old English/Norse did Tolkien draw on for naming things?

Are the comic elements of Conrad's The Secret Agent intentional?

Is The Owl Service sexist in its negative portrayals of women?

How can we reconcile the bareness of Shakespearean stages with the complex stage directions of The Tempest?

In Macbeth, why is Fleance 'scaped?

What's the significance of The Idiot in Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian?

What point is the end of The Owl Service trying to make?