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
- Shakespeare, Othello (2)
- Shakespeare, Hamlet (2)
- Thomas Moore, "The Young May Moon" (6)
- "Goosey Goosey Gander" nursery rhyme (7)
- Leigh Hunt, A Jar of Honey (8)
- Shakespeare, Macbeth (8)
- Old Mother Hubbard nursery rhymes (8)
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress (12)
- Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (12)
- Sir William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (16)
- Alexander Pope, "Epistle to Lord Bathurst" (17)
- Milton, "Comus" (18)
- Robert Southey, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (20)
- Chaucer, "Nun's Priest's Tale" (28)
- John Parry, "The Peasant Boy" (31)
- Lawrence Sterne, A Sentimental Journey (37)
- Cervantes, Don Quixote (49)
- Charles Perrault, "Bluebeard" (53)
- Plutarch, "Life of Julius Caesar" (61)
- Shakespeare, Twelfth Night (65)
Biblical References
- Book of Job (2)
- Revelations (3)
- Mark (9)
- Book of Common Prayer (10)
- Matthew (12)
- Genesis (12)
- Numbers (17)
- Psalms (25)
Historical References
- Wat Tyler's peasant revolt (2)
- Lady Jane Grey (5)
- Lord Wittington, Lord Mayor of London (6)
- Tooting Orphanage Farm scandal, where cholera killed 150 in one year (10)
- Police Act of 1829, which created the Metropolitan Police Force (11)
- Prince Charles Stuart, claimant to the English throne (21)
- George IV, The Prince Regent (23)
- Guy Fawkes Day (26)
- The belief that humans could spontaneously combust, as affirmed by a bunch of doctors (33)
- Daniel Dancer and John Elwes, famous misers (39)