American Pastoral Allusions & Cultural References

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

William Carlos Williams, "At Kenneth Burke's Place" (Epigraph)
John R. Tunis, The Kid from Tomkinsville, Iron Duke, The Duke Decides, Champion's Choice, Keystone Kids, Rookie of the Year. (1.9)
Leo Tolstoy, "The Death of Ivan Ilych" (1.75)
Marcel Proust (2.15)
Steven Crane, Red Badge of Courage (2.46)
Fyodor Dostoevsky (3.113)
John Milton, Paradise Lost (Title of Part III)
Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto (4.200)
Bruno Hauptmann (4.204)
Charles Lindberg (4.204)
It Can't Happen Here (7.9)
Sir Walter Scott (8.35)

Historical References

Bernard Baruch (1.15)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1.15)
Socrates (3.36)
Ho Chi Minh (3.67)
Che Guevara (3.76)
John F. Kennedy (3.109)
Lyndon Baines Johnson (3.139-141)
Senator Case (3.140)
Warren Gamaliel Harding (3.156)
Dr. Martin Luther King (4.1)
Ralph Abernathy (4.1)
Students for A Democratic Society (4.168)
The Weather Underground (4.168)
Angela Davis (4.188-202)
Mao Tse-Tung (5.75)
The Watergate Hearings (7.1)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (7.135)

Pop Culture References

Johnny Mercer, "Dream" (Epigraph, 2.110, 2.113, 2.123)
Rodin's The Thinker (1.9)
Sammy Davis, Jr. (1.51)
Joe Namath (1.51)
Liza Minnelli (1.51)
Kaye Ballard (1.51)
Gene Kelly (1.51)
Jack Carter (1.51)
Phil Rizzuto (1.51)
Johnny and Joanna Carson (1.51)
David, by Michelangelo (1.73)
Disc Jockey Bill Cook (2.18)
Roosevelt Sykes (2.18)
Ivory Joe Hunter (2.18)
The Ray-O-Vacs (2.18)
Louis Jordan (2.18)
Glenn Miller (2.18)
Tommy Dorsey (2.18)
Silver Screen magazine (2.50)
George Raft (2.50)
Olive Oil from Popeye (3.1)
Spencer Tracy (3.89)
Audrey Hepburn (3.13)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (3.133)
"Moon River" (3.133)
Vogue (5.21)
House and Garden (8.8)
Deep Throat (8.12)
Linda Lovelace (8.12)