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.
Biblical References
- Gilead, a land mentioned in the Bible
- Genesis 30:1-3 (Epigraph)
- Whirlwind, Chariot, Behemoth (4.3)
- Mark 4:1-9 (4.13)
- Store names that reference the Old Testament: Lilies of the Field, Milk and Honey, All Flesh (5)
- Isaiah 40:6 (8.21)
- Luke 23:34 (8.217)
- Deuteronomy 17: 6 (11.24)
- Matthew 5.5 (12.12)
- The Bible (15.4)
- Genesis 8:17, 30:1-8, 30:18 (15.20, 39)
- The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-13 (15.21)
- 2 Chronicles 16.9 (15.54)
- 1 Corinthians 13:13 (19.5-6)
- Jezebel (19.27)
- Genesis 3:16 (19.38)
- St. Paul, Acts (20.5)
- Jesus (21.25, 25.86)
- Book of Job (28.16)
- The Lord's Prayer (referenced throughout 11.30)
- 1 Timothy 2:12 (34.18-24)
- The Whore of Babylon (38.13)
- The Crucifixion (45.2)
- The Old Testament (Historical Notes.28)
Art and Literary References
- Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal (Epigraph)
- Sufi proverb (Epigraph)
- Little Red Riding Hood (2.11)
- The Shape of Things to Come (8.25)
- Les Sylphides (ballet music) (13.6)
- "The Night Before Christmas" (17.7)
- Tennyson (25.29)
- Raymond Chandler (29.9)
- Charles Dickens, Hard Times (29.9)
- The Sabine Women (painting) (29.38)
- Krishna and Kali (Historical Notes.6)
- Geoffrey Chaucer (Historical Notes.12)
- William Wordsworth, "Preface" to the Lyrical Ballads (Historical Notes.20)
Historical References
- Beethoven (8.6)
- Queen Victoria (16.8)
- Saints of the Darker Ages (24.10)
- Nazis (24.18)
- The Renaissance (25.54)
- Edwardian period (25.55)
- Venus de Milo (29.37)
- Colosseum (29.37)
- The Warsaw Tactic (Historical Notes.6)
Pop Culture References
- Humphrey Bogart (5.13)
- Lauren Bacall (5.13)
- Katharine Hepburn (5.13)
- Tarzan (7.20)
- Time (8.21)
- Newsweek (8.21)
- "Amazing Grace" (10.2)
- "Heartbreak Hotel" (10.4)
- Weight Watchers (13.17)
- Oklahoma! (14.47)
- Agent Orange (19.40)
- Scrabble (23.43-46 and frequently throughout remainder of book)
- Vogue (25.51)
- "In god we trust" (28.17)
- Mademoiselle (29.9)
- Esquire (29.9)
- Ms. (29.9)
- Reader's Digest (29.9)
- There is a Balm in Gilead (34.4)
- Elvis Presley's Golden Years (Historical Notes.17)
- Folk Songs of Lithuania (Historical Notes.17)
- Boy George Takes It Off (Historical Notes.17)
- Mantovani's Mellow Strings (Historical Notes.17)
- Twisted Sister at Carnegie Hall (Historical Notes.17)