When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (2.15)
- Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (2.92, 5.17)
- Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book (2.152)
- William Shakespeare, The Tempest (2.151)
- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (2.168)
- William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (2.362, 14.49-58)
- Homer, The Odyssey, Book 11 (6.19)
- Georg Friedrich Handel, Water Music (8.13)
- The Brothers Grimm, Rumpelstiltskin (8.169)
- Baroness Emmusca Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel (8.171)
- William Shakespeare, Macbeth (10.32)
- Sir Walter Scott, "Lochinvar" (14.27-30)
- The Brothers Grimm, Hansel and Gretel (16.27)
Historical References
- Bill Clinton, President of the United States (1.63)
- Karl Marx (1.167, 2.214, 5.17)
- Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Communist revolutionary (1.167)
- Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India (2.211)
- Mao Tse-tung, first Chairman of the Communist Party of China (5.16)
- Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the moon (8.33)
Pop Culture References
- The NBA (1.63)
- Grand Slam Tennis (1.63)
- The Bold and the Beautiful, an American soap opera (1.63)
- Santa Barbara, an American soap opera (1.63)
- WWF Wrestling Mania (1.64)
- Hulk Hogan, an American wrestler (1.64)
- The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1.166)
- The Sound of Music (2.3)
- Meet Me in St. Louis (2.26)
- The Bronze Buckaroo (2.26)
- Charlie Chaplin (2.45)
- Modern Times (2.45)
- Reader's Digest World Atlas (2.38)
- Mutiny on the Bounty (2.392)
- Phil Donahue (3.7-12)
- "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," from The Wizard of Oz (3.7)
- Hatari (4.31)
- "Baby Elephant Walk," from Hatari (4.31)
- "Colonel Bogey's March," a British military march (4.31)
- Christopher Plummer (4.33)
- AC/DC (9.29)
- The East German Olympic swim team (14.34)
- The Rolling Stones, "Ruby Tuesday" (21.5)