Breakfast at Tiffany's 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 Saroyan (3.14)
  • Ernest Hemingway (3.14)
  • W. Somerset Maugham (3.16)
  • Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights (8.20)

Historical References

  • Sigmund Freud (4.16)
  • Unity Mitford, a supporter and friend of Hitler's (4.41)
  • Adolf Hitler (4.41)
  • Cleopatra (6.6)
  • Nero, Roman emperor (12.2)
  • Nehru, prime minister of India from 1947-1964 (12.3)
  • Wendell Wilkie, Republican nominee in the 1940 presidential election (12.3)

Pop Culture References

  • Gilbert and Sullivan, nineteenth-century composers (1.4)
  • Our Gal Sunday, radio soap (1.4)
  • Cole Porter and Kurt Weill (3.5)
  • Oklahoma! (3.5)
  • Luise Rainer, German film actress (4.18)
  • The Story of Dr. Wassell, 1944 Cecil B. DeMille film (4.20)
  • Cecil B. DeMille, film director (4.20)
  • David O. Selznick, producer (4.34)
  • William Randolph Hearst (12.2)
  • Bergdorf, upscale New York department store (3.41)
  • "21," famous club/restaurant (3.3)
  • Tiffany's (4.51)

Biblical References

  • St. Christopher (8.10)