Questions tagged [character-analysis]
Questions relating to the analysis of characters in works of literature: for example, their traits, construction, or other aspects. This tag should be used together with any relevant work, series, or author tags.
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Does Mary Bennet undergo any sort of character development in "Pride and Prejudice"?
In Pride and Prejudice, of the five Bennet sisters, the one we see the least of is Mary. (Her name appears fewer than forty times in the whole book.) Mary has a reputation for sitting with her books, ...
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Are Thomas Bernhard's (highly critical) opinions of other German/Austrian authors in "Extinction" his own?
I've been reading "Extinction" (Auslöschung) by Bernhard, in which the main character (Franz-Josef Murau) expounds, highly critically, on Goethe, Thomas Mann, Musil, etc. All of them are ...
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Why does Percival Everett change the relationship of Carolyn Bryant and J W Milam in The Trees?
The character Granny C in Percival Everett's The Trees represents an aged Carolyn Bryant, the woman whose dubious claim that Emmett Till whistled at her led to his brutal murder. In real life, the men ...
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Why is Reepicheep so heroic?
Reepicheep the Talking Mouse is probably the most courageous and valiant character in the entire Narnia series. Many times, in the books where he appears (Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn ...
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In Patchett's 'Commonwealth', why doesn't Spencer tell Fix about Beverly's affair?
Here is a follow-up to my previous question about Ann Patchett's Commonwealth. I'm unclear about Dick Spencer's role in concealing the affair that Bert Cousins is having with Beverly Keating.
Spencer ...
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In The Master and Margarita, who is Koroviev and what is the nature of his sin?
This question involves minor spoilers for The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov.
Koroviev is one of Woland's entourage, and ostensibly serves as his translator. However, unlike the other characters ...
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Greek Alexander Romance - Plot device or other function of Alexander's surreptitious stealing of Persian drinking cups?
In one of the more common form factors of the Greek Alexander Romance (by Pseudo-Callisthenes), we have this passage, located in Book II, 15:
As they began to drink more deeply, Alexander had an idea:...
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When did Ja'far ibn Yahya start being portrayed as an evil vizier?
Ja'far ibn Yahya or Ja'far al-Barmaki was an 8th century vizier of the caliph Harun al-Rashid. From a distinguished central Asian family, he was known for his knowledge of science, as well as his ...
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Who is Mrs LeFay in "The Magician's Nephew"?
In The Magician’s Nephew, Andrew refers to his godmother, Mrs LeFay, who gave him the powder he used to make the rings. Other than this and a reference to her possessing "fairy blood", ...
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Is Emma's preoccupation with class and station typical of the time period or an aspect of her character?
In Jane Austen's Emma, the titular character is shown to spend a lot of time and effort thinking about class, rank, and station in society. She's worried about mixing with the lower classes, and ...
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What character traits define Ibsen’s Brand?
(I am not asking this for a school assignment. I’m not in school.)
I have not read Brand carefully. I want an introductory sense of if the content of the play accords with my understanding so far.
I ...
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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 significance of the ending of this short story "In the Wheels"?
The short story "In the Wheels" (available in full at that link, perhaps a 10-15 minute read) is mostly about car racing with a speculative-fiction twist, but there's a surprising (to me) ...
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Does Nick love Gatsby?
I recently asked this question: What is the significance of Nick being gay in the Great Gatsby?
In the time before I got an answer I arrived to a conclusion similar to what answerer (@Peter Shor) did. ...
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Jordan's line about intimate parties in The Great Gatsby?
“And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”
When I read this quote from Jordan Baker I was (and am) puzzled as to the meaning. It seems like ...
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