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.
Literature, Philosophy, and Mythology
W.B. Yeats: “The Second Coming” (epigraph)
Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness – “from the beginning of things” (7.23)
The Bible: Exodus 10:1-20 – Plague of locusts (7.9-13); God (16.9); “Jesu Kristi” (16.19); Holy Trinity (16.23-24); 1 Kings 18:21-40 – Prophets of Baal (22.1); the Devil (22.4)
Historical Figures
The Queen of England (likely Queen Victoria) (23.12)