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
- Noemie, name of the American heroine in Alexander Dumas's play L'Etrangere (1.27).
- Rolla, hero of an 1833 poem by Alfred de Musset and Fortunio, of an 1837 tale by Theophile Gautier (3.70).
- Extracts from (Laphonse) Lamartine, a French Romantic writer (4.27).
- The Mysteries of Fifth Avenue, reference to Ann Radcliffe's 1794 Gothic romance The Mysteries of Udolpho (6.28).
- Children of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, murderers of their mother (8.1).
Historical References
- Greek legend of Alexander the Great showing his calling to rule Asia by cutting the knot of Gordius (3.38).
- Counts Egmont and Horn, executed for rebelling against the Spanish Inquisition (5.1).
- Alexander the Great (3.5.4).
- Benjamin Franklin convinced France to help out America in the Revolutionary War (13.20).