In chapter 3 of the second edition of Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, we find the following paragraph: Theory has enormously enriched and invigorated the study of literary works, but... theory is not the theory of literature. If you had to say what 'theory' is the theory of, the answ...

After a long climb, she emerged on a wooded hill, above a Greek-style amphitheater. She was surrounded by golden grasses, whose feathery seeds were borne on the wind. Eucalyptus fronds, giving off pungent odors, swayed in the languorous air rising from the bay. Crescents of dry foliage formed a ...

Recently I read a couple of books with either of the following mistakes: Spelling Phrasing Scientific errors in equations Word duplications Other typography errors: formatting, missing colors, etc. Should I bother reporting this to the authors? I do not want to be unpolite but some errors are s...

I would like to know what "referred from the centre for student accommodation" means in the following sentences: When I arrived in the flat, it seemed smaller to me than before. The kitchen was to the right, as soon as you entered. It was long and narrow and only big enough to hold my landlady, ...

I would like to know what "a sort of thought-through whisper" means in the following sentences: ‘That’s the right attitude.’ He leaned forward and put his chunky arms on the desk, his fingertips touching one another. ‘Because I cannot guarantee anything, you see. Ultimately, the board needs to a...

I would like to know what "a satisfaction in the forbidden, a challenge" means in the following sentences: I walked home slowly. The air was suffocating. The sky was grey, and sticky wind blew through the streets, swirling up dust. The few people around looked hurried, caught inside their own mi...

I would like to know what "mind our own business" means in the following sentences: ‘There’s no law against what we’re doing.’ ‘I know that.’ Your voice softened. ‘But we need to act as if there were. Do you know what they did to Foucault?’ I looked at you blankly. ‘The philosopher?’ You nodded....

I would like to know what "tucked in below the ramparts of the faculty grounds" means in the following sentences: During those weeks, you and I would go to the university pool every now and then. It wasn’t far from the Old Town, tucked in below the ramparts of the faculty grounds. I remember its...

I would like to know what "her bike" means in the following sentences: I was very young; Father had just left us and Mother was so distraught I was afraid she’d die from grief. She stayed in her room all day. Her lips pale, her eyes red. I tried to cheer her up, to distract her with my picture b...

I would like to know what "Behind it lay the nuns’ convent, their cloister with its orchards and grazing cows, and new residential blocks towering just above." means in the following sentences: We climbed a set of narrow stairs lined by a large stone wall. Behind it lay the nuns’ convent, their ...

I would like to know what "It made me think that throughout my life, up to this point, everything I’d done had felt either irrelevant or replaceable." means in the following sentences: I went to a student cafe near campus and prepared for my interview with the board that would take place if I pa...

I would like to know what "I heard her shoving the brooms up against it, heard running in other parts of the office, and then the sound of her heels on the wooden floor of the corridor." means in the following sentences: ‘Citizen,’ we heard a voice boom in the other room, ‘a suspect is hiding in...

I would like to know what "searching the flats and offices, returning to interrogate the man and the woman and to take down their details" means in the following sentences: There was a scratching on the door. ‘You can come out now,’ said the woman’s voice. I don’t know how long I had been in the...

I would like to know what "pact you’ve made with yourself" means in the following sentences: ‘Did you hear?’ he said with his smoker’s voice, almost immediately after picking up the phone. ‘The ZOMO killed nine miners in Katowice. They were protesting the martial law. Can you believe it? First t...

I would like to know what "came through to the corridor with me" means in the following sentences: ‘No, thank you,’ you said, waiting for her to stop. ‘I won’t trouble you for long. Ludwik told me you haven’t been well. I managed to get you a doctor’s appointment. Tomorrow at ten.’ You handed he...

I would like to know what "Your arched back defined" means in the following sentences: Afterwards you got up and switched on the radio, sitting on your haunches, turning the tune button. Your arched back defined, your ass resting on your heels. Your tan had faded, I realised, and so had mine. Fi...

I would like to know what "I need to check on somebody." means in the following sentences: We followed him through a wood-panelled corridor into a large room filled with smoke and people. Music blasted throughout the place, hot and loud, rockingly hypnotic. Couples danced in the middle of the ro...

I would like to know what "bottles" means in the following sentences: We followed him through a wood-panelled corridor into a large room filled with smoke and people. Music blasted throughout the place, hot and loud, rockingly hypnotic. Couples danced in the middle of the room or lay spread out ...

I'm trying to understand the difference between Symbolism and Romanticism as literary movements. As I understand it, the symbolists explicitly wanted to distance themselves from the romantics. But if I compare Stephane Mallarme's "Afternoon of a Faun" (founder of Symbolism) with Samuel Taylor Col...

Could you give me some examples to explain what is the reason for the significance of the Riverside Miming Theatre for Jake, in Iris Murdoch's novel Under the Net?

One of the interesting features of Richard Adams's novel Watership Down is his invented language "Lapine" spoken by rabbits in the story. Mostly, of course, the rabbits are shown speaking in English, but we do get a fair few words of their vocabulary (hrair, thlay, yona, pfeffa, and so on) as wel...