Tintin Forums

Now I'll try something original i.e. I'm going to open Pandora's box by asking the following question.

Which particular aspect of the plot is common to The Secret of the Unicorn and The Castafiore Emerald?

I am not looking for a detail separate from the plots (like Thompsons fumble in both the albums),
or a self-evident fact (like Tintin is one of the main characters).

A particular notable aspect of the plot is what I am looking for.

And one more thing. If you think, "could the answer be this", you are probably wrong. When you know the answer it is crystal clear.

Good luck

Well, I am going to try and say...

The parrot that imitates Haddock's coroful language?

Sorry, that is not what I am looking for. The imitations are funny details.

I believe the answer is birds.

In Unicorn the man who been shot (don't remember his name, is it Barthold?) points at some bird giving Tintin the clue to the Bird brothers.

In The Castafiore Emerald, the opera The Thieving Magpie gives Tintin the clue about the real thief in the book. Funny that in the book named after her, the clue is not from the opera Faust by Gounod (with the famous jewel song/aria) but Rossini's Thieving Magpie. Though had Hergé used Faust instead perhaps a "cheesy" marquis dressed up as Méphistophélès could have been the thief.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust_(opera)

You are right, labrador, the main villains are birds. The point and the turn is yours, again! Is this Finnkampen or what is going on, labrador?

tuhatkauno
Sorry, that is not what I am looking for. The imitations are funny details.
Personally I think that maxmordon may be due something here.
You have to be very careful when setting the question to make the answer specific whenever possible. You should be able to decline an answer which appears to fit the question with something better than it wasn’t the one you were thinking of - that doesn’t make the answer wrong, just different. If the question setter has a justification for rejecting the answer, and I am not sure that it is possible on the evidence to do so: how do you quantify what counts as plot?

The question setter has a duty to assess the answers given, and even if it isn’t what they were thinking of see if it is an appropriate response, and max may be making a fair point here.

I knew my question might cause troubles. I tried to emphasize to avoid details. The difference between a separate detail and an aspect of the plot is that you can leave the detail out without damaging the plots. The parrots' imitations are just that kind of details.

For example Haddock's stumbling is more difficult case: in Emerald Captain's stumbling is definitely an essential part of the plot but what about in Unicorn?

I did have some kriteria in mind although did not explain it well enough. After all from my point of view maxmordon doesn't deserve a point, not because I feel evil today but because he/she did not score.

But it is fair to give a point to maxmordon if he/she answered what I asked. I cannot estimate my question like you. So decision is yours, Ed.

Could scorekeeper please tell if I'm to ask next question or maxmordon.

I think in fairness both labrador road 26 and maxmordon may have points, but labrador road 26 should set the next question since he got the answer that tuhatkauno was looking for.

Ed