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
- Mark 12.31 (1.6)
- Matthew 7.3-5, Luke 6.41-42 (4.10)
- Lord Byron, “The Lament of Tasso” (7.1)
- Exodus 20.15 (9.2)
- John Norris, The Parting (9.12)
- Robert Blair, The Grave (9.12)
- Amelia Matilda Murray (37.5)
- Mary Howitt, “The Spider and the Fly” (38.3)
- Thomas Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” (40.3)
- Uncle Tom's Cabin (40.15)
- Ecclesiastes 7.7 (40.13)
- Job 3.17 (41.23)
Historical References
- Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion (12.1)
- Irish Potato Famine (6.1)
- Albert G. Brown, a Mississippi senator (23.5)
- Compromise of 1850, a.k.a. “The Fugitive Slave Law” (40.1)
- Amy Post, Quaker abolitionist (39.5)
Pop Culture References
- Jenny Lind (40.3)