Dreiser began working on his first novel after receiving encouragement from White and his friend Arthur Henry, a novelist and editor of Toledo Blade. This novel, Sister Carrie (1900), was largely based on Dreiser’s sister, Emma, who began a relationship with a married man on the run after embezzling money. What influenced Theodore Dreiser? Dreiser […]

Art Carney’s Ed Norton character on The Honeymooners was said to be Yogi’s inspiration; his voice mannerisms broadly mimic Carney as Norton. Carney, in turn, received influence from the Borscht Belt and comedians of vaudeville. Who inspired Yogi Bear? Despite his creators’ contention to the contrary, all signs indicate that yes, Yogi Bear was indeed […]

The author based the character of the Red Queen on Miss Prickett, the governess of Alice Liddell (the real-life Alice). What was Lewis Carroll inspired by? Alice Pleasance Liddell (1852 – 1934) was the little girl who inspired Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Who is the Queen in Alice […]

Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio influenced his poetry as well, both in style and subject. Who were some of the main writers that influenced Chaucer’s work? During trips to Italy in 1372 and 1378, he discovered the works of Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch —each of which greatly influenced Chaucer’s own literary endeavors. Who were Chaucer’s contemporaries? […]

Inspiration. The inspiration for the poem came when Boberg was walking home from church near Kronobäck, Sweden, and listening to church bells. A sudden storm got Boberg’s attention, and then just as suddenly as it had made its appearance, it subsided to a peaceful calm which Boberg observed over Mönsterås Bay. What inspired How Great […]