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
- Sir Thomas Browne, "Hydriotaphia. Urn-Burial; or, a Discourse of the Sepulchral Urns Lately Found in Norfolk" (epigraph)
- Edmond Hoyle, Hoyle's Rules of Games (2)
- Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, Xerxes (15)
- Epicurus (21, 24)
- Ovid, Fasti (24)
- Molière, The Bourgeois Gentleman ("Monsieur Jourdain"; 52)
- Jean Jacques Rousseau, La Nouvelle Héloise (123)
Historical References
- Dr. John Pringle Nichol, astronomer (21)
- François Vidocq, detective (52)
- Georges Cuvier, zoologist and paleontologist (91, 93)
Pop Culture References
- Laverna, Roman goddess (123)