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
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" (1.69)
One Thousand and One Nights (2.57)
"Valentine and Orson" (2.57)
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (2.59)
"Sir Roger de Coverley," a country dance (2.94)
Historical References
Workhouses for the poor (1.54)
The New Poor Law, passed in 1834 (1.55)