Literary characters or references in popular culture

[Slurpee]

Hello,

I am new to this site, having found it while researching a magazine article I am writing. I am trying to find some suggestions of literary characters, quotes or references commonly seen/heard in popular culture. For example, many might not realize Starbucks coffee was named after Starbuck in Moby Dick. Of course now that I need to think of others, I can't come up with them. Any help will be much appreciated!

[barbara0207]

For quotes you might try http://en.wikiquote.org.
The two that come to mind immediately are "Out, damned spot" and "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow", both from Macbeth. (Shakespeare alone might fill your article; some people even use the quotes unwittingly. :D )

[Scheherazade]

Big Brother theme is over-used, I think.

[Shalot]

Evelina or THE HISTORY OF A YOUNG LADY'S ENTRANCE INTO THE WORLD by Fanny Burney

Have you ever seen Pretty Woman? Well, if so, you know that Richard Gere's character took the hooker (Julia Roberts) to the opera and she was moved by it. In the eighteenth century, opera was considered "high-class entertainment" and only those of royal blood lines would enjoy this type of performance.

In Evelina , the same thing happened. (only it was Evelina who went to the opera, and she wasn't a hooker)

(and yes this a rerun post, I've put it up before but I liked Evelina --- thanks Dr. Anderson)

[mtpspur]

Long John Silver's (fish food resturant) from Robert Loius Stevenson's Treasure Island.

"Elementary my dear Watson."--allegedely spoken by Sherlock Holmes but everyone thinks he said it. But it is commonly used.

"The Shadow knows." Almost any novel by Walter Gibson. Don't get me started on the radio show--whole different kettle of Long John Silver's fish fillet.:lol:

[Derringer]

I would find an analysis of an episode of the Simpsons. They are very well read on their literary history. and so pop.

[MikeK]

The Baltimore Ravens football team are named after Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven".

[quasimodo1]

Maybe this is not popular culture, but close...the Eureka vacuum cleaner. Eureka in Greek means...aha, or it is there or there it is...as in EUREKA!! There is the dirt. quasimodo1