Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 27 of 27

Thread: Great books that reference great books

  1. #16
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    188
    My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk is packed with references to Persian and Islamic literature. It's not a Great Book in itself (it's ok) but served as a nice introduction to an unfamiliar culture.

  2. #17
    Whosie Whatsie? Ser Nevarc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    98
    Frankenstein's creature reads Goethe, Milton, and Plutarch.

    Good taste

  3. #18
    Dance Magic Dance OrphanPip's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Kuala Lumpur but from Canada
    Posts
    4,163
    Blog Entries
    25
    Quote Originally Posted by ruggerlad View Post
    In Northanger Abbey, the characters both read The Mysteries of Udolpho (like Pip reading Frankenstein) and the narration continuously parodies its style and conventions (which is more like the Catcher situation).
    The book is pretty concerned with the idea of learning from literature, and particular with how the novel fits into those debates. Udolpho is the big allusion, but the novel opens with an ironic selection of "educational" quotes from Shakespeare, Gray, and Pope (if I remember correctly). Otherwise, there are also a number of occasions where people talk about books (Fielding and Burney are mentioned, along with a catalogue of obscure gothic romances), actually the characters almost incessantly talk about books throughout the entire novel (when they aren't discussing marriage prospects).
    "If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of Canada is paranoid schizophrenia."
    - Margaret Atwood

  4. #19
    Banned
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Durham, North Carolina
    Posts
    86
    I'm only fifty pages into Henry James's Watch and Ward, but it already referenced Don Quixote and Jane Eyre.

  5. #20
    Registered User kev67's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Reading, England
    Posts
    2,458
    Quote Originally Posted by Summer M View Post
    I'm only fifty pages into Henry James's Watch and Ward, but it already referenced Don Quixote and Jane Eyre.
    By coincidence I am reading a book by David Lodge titled Author, Author, which is a fictionalized account of an episode of Henry James's life. So far it has referred to Daisy Miller, A Portrait of a Lady, The Princess Casamassima and The Beast in the Jungle.
    According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
    Charles Dickens, by George Orwell

  6. #21
    Registered User kev67's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Reading, England
    Posts
    2,458
    The narrator in Norwegian Wood makes friends with another student at his university partly through a shared love of The Great Gatsby.
    According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
    Charles Dickens, by George Orwell

  7. #22
    Inexplicably Undiscovered
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    next door to the lady in the vinegar bottle
    Posts
    5,089
    Blog Entries
    72
    Rather than make this thread veer off topic, I decided to make a new thread.

    http://www.online-literature.com/for...17#post1178917
    Last edited by AuntShecky; 10-20-2012 at 03:48 PM. Reason: to add link to new thread

  8. #23
    Absinthe minded bIGwIRE's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Innisfree
    Posts
    107
    Les Misérables refers to the writings of Plutarch, Virgil, Dante, and Homer many times throughout, drawing parallels to his own arguments, or expanding on their characters and themes.

    For grievous war these arms don't ask,
    No armor, save this joyous flask

  9. #24
    Registered User kev67's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Reading, England
    Posts
    2,458
    Holly Golightly refers to Wuthering Heights in Breakfast at Tiffany's. The narrator, who is a struggling author, says it is not fair to compare his stories with a work of genius, before realizing that Holly has only watched the movie. This leads to a falling out when Holly detects a hint of condescension.
    According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
    Charles Dickens, by George Orwell

  10. #25
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    3,123
    Arcadia by Iain Pears is probably not a great novel but it is very entertaining and playful. Part of the fun is noting the many nods at other books and literary forms.

  11. #26
    Registered User kev67's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Reading, England
    Posts
    2,458
    The butler in The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins loved Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. He read it whenever he needed solace or guidance, in preference to the bible it seems. Curious, because Crusoe's ideas about right and wrong would have been questionable even then.
    According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
    Charles Dickens, by George Orwell

  12. #27
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Eugene, OR
    Posts
    2,422
    "This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child...... In those days Mr. Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure on Lewisham Road...."

    So begins "The Magician's Nephew", by C.S.Lewis. As an aside, anyone who didn't read "The Treasure Seekers" by E. Nesbit (referenced here) as a child should sue his parents for child abuse.

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Similar Threads

  1. Book Lists and Honesty
    By Veho in forum General Literature
    Replies: 64
    Last Post: 03-15-2012, 11:48 AM
  2. Great non-fiction books
    By TheFifthElement in forum General Literature
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 10-18-2011, 05:19 AM
  3. Literary theory books written by great authors
    By Syd A in forum General Literature
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 01-12-2011, 09:57 AM
  4. My list of great books
    By Levenbreech Vor in forum General Literature
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 06-27-2009, 12:58 PM
  5. Great Britain's favourite 21 books
    By Dick Diver in forum General Literature
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 10-22-2003, 10:04 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •