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
- The New England Primer (1777) (2.15)
- Chanticleer (rooster name used in medieval tales) (6.5, 6.6, 10.10-11, 10.13, 12.5, 14.35, 21.11)
- Alexander Pope, " The Rape of the Lock " (8.3)
- Richard Steele (editor), The Tatler (1709-1711) (8.3)
- John Dryden, Miscellanies (8.3)
- Rasselas (8.3)
- Charles Fourier, French social reformer (10.21, 12.6)
- Alain-René Lesage, Gil Blas (12.6)
- John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress ("Giant Despair in pursuit of Christian and Hopeful") (16.34)
- John Milton, Comus (18.10)
- Virgil, The Aeneid ("the golden branch, that gained Aeneas and the Sibyl admittance into Hades") (19.1)
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet (19.22)
Historical References
- King William III of England (1.13)
- John Swinnerton, Salem doctor (1.22)
- The American Revolution (1.28, 4.18)
- Temperance movement activists (5.58)
- "Come-outers" (religious non-conformists) (5.58)
- Cotton Mather, Puritan minister (13.9)
- Sire William Phips, Royal Governor (13.9)
- The Duke of Devonshire and his mansion, Chatsworth (13.51)
- Daniel Webster, American statesman (18.9)
- The Free Soil Party (18.13)
- The French and Indian War (the "old French war") (18.21)
Biblical References
- Tophet (also known as Hell) (2.10)
- Adam and Eve (7.5, 10.9, 12.17)
- Jonah and the whale (Jonah is the "prophet of Nineveh") (8.1)
- The Garden of Eden (10.9)
- Mammon (the demon of greed) (11.7, 19.43)
Mythological References
- Aeolus, Roman god of the wind (2.13)
- Midas (3.1, 7.4)
- Lar, Roman god of the home (7.4)
- Father Time (8.1)
- Ixion, mythological Greek king (8.12)
- Hymettus, a mountain range in ancient Greece known for its honey (10.5)
Pop Culture References
- Edward Greene Malbone, American painter of miniature portraits (2.3, 4.11, 7.21)
- Jim Crow (2.10, 3.32, 3.35, 3.37)
- Oak-Hall Store (Boston) (3.3)
- Animal magnetism (aka hypnotism) (5.58)
- Mesmerism (a.k.a. hypnotism) (12.5, 17.36)
- Claude Lorrain, French landscape painter (13.53, 13.63, 13.67)
- Graham's Magazine (14.4)
- Godey's Lady's Book (14.4)
- Moll Pitcher, famous Massachusetts clairvoyant and fortune-teller (18.10)
- Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (19.44)