Talk:Foil (narrative)

message: "Reasonings to support this idea include that DOR-o-thy and EL-pha-ba are pronounced similarly"  What language are you speaking?  How are those two names pronounced similarly?  --Phoenix Hacker 04:36, 29 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: [Untitled]

message: Is there any way to get an admin entity to watch the activity of certain IP adresses and log any vandalism? I just corrected an apparent practical joke. If anyone sees any further crap, just revert it back to the latest unspoiled version.
I don't call myself a Sherlock Holmes expert.  Was there actually a case where Watson was in Afghanistan? User:Capitocapito - Talk 15:17, 11 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Vandalism 

message: abby and elizabeth proctor...what about them...
the sentence is not clear--Vircabutar 02:59, 24 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: question

message: :Indeed, and it looks like much of the content is an original research. Without any in-text citations to back these up. --Animeronin (talk) 08:00, 28 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: The List

message: Can we have a source citing the use of "foil" to describe a subplot, rather than a character? I'm not convinced this usage is correct; many subplots have this function in relation to the main plot. writingjen 18:44, 25 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  plot as foil? 

message: Don't we need some more categories such as "literature" and/or "literary devices"?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.56.242.121 (talk) 21:15, 16 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Categories

message: I removed the "Improve by adding references" template because I just added a lot of references.XXXpinoy777 (talk) 19:01, 18 January 2011 (UTC)
thread_title: "Improve by adding references" template removed

message: Is the term foil synonymous with things like rival or antagonist? 47.152.93.124 (talk) 01:18, 8 February 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Possible synonyms 

message: Hello as of 4/29/18 the article states that "The word foil comes from the old practice of backing gems with foil to make them shine more brightly." With the source http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=foil . I think this is highly possible and is what many other websites seem to agree on, but I am worried that someone may have just made this assumption. Although I only briefly looked, I could not find any peer reviewed source supporting (or rejecting) the etymology of the word and that website did not provide a direct source (that I saw).
The reason this brings me concern is being the website https://owlcation.com/humanities/Shakespeares-Hamlet-Foils-Fortinbras-Laertes states
" It is believed that the literary term 'foil' comes from this comment, said by Hamlet, to Laertes: "I'll be your foil" " which appears to actually be highly possible. The reason I believe this could be possible are A: The quote is from Shakespeare who had great influence in the literary world, B: Shakespeare seemed to use this quote to reveal the foil between the characters, and C: Hamlet was written around 1599 and the first website states that the literary use of the word foil is from the 1580s or 1590s. 
I have been unable to find any truly conclusive results on this question and investigations of the use of the word 'foil' for fencing runs into more questions, and interestingly enough returns back to Hamlet (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foil_(fencing) History, " the foil as a blunted weapon for sword practice goes back to the 16th century (for example, in Hamlet, Shakespeare writes "let the foils be brought" ").
I do not believe I will continue research into this topic, but perhaps in the main article the obscurity of the history of foil, or the addition of possible origin of foil from Hamlet should be included.
--Jingle535 (talk) 22:59, 29 April 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Etymology of literary use of foil