using the traffic light system during a kink scene but shaking my head the entire time so the audience knows i dont support car-dependant infrastructure and its influence on the common vocabulary
I'm loving this new trend of people going to zoos and participating in animal enrichment. We use to observe large exotic animals for our entertainment, but the fact is that we are now trying to make ourselves equally as entertaining for them. It's interactive, completely parpicipatory and I would argue that eventually someone's gonna come up with something new enough that it expland ethologists understanding about how some animals think, problem solve, communicate and feel and I think its fantastic.
A Comprehensive List of Every Literary and Scholarly Work Referenced in The Secret History
I first discovered The Secret History by Donna Tartt in January of 2022 and, upon reading it again only two months later, wondered to myself if anyone online had made and published a list of the works referenced in the book since they constitute such an essential and enriching part of the story. I discovered that such lists do exist, good enough for anyone who wants them plain and simple, but I was also interested in inspecting which character these references were linked to, and at what point and in what context they appeared. That, to me, seemed the most compelling and enlightening aspect of the exercise.
So you may, with this list, gain some clarity on unexplained or unacknowledged sources, hence why I made it as easy to navigate as possible. Or you may also want to imagine yourself in a character’s shoes by exploring the literary and scholarly works they surround themselves with. All of this, I believe, could offer some insight one wouldn’t be provided otherwise.
But before that, a quick guide.
The list contains specific works that are referenced or quoted; I didn’t include mentions of authors when there is no work associated to them – since that’s more general and done in passing – unless the name of the author is there to invoke a certain imagery present in their text(s), e.g., ‘Dantesque’.
Mentioned by is a quick mention, while discussed by means it’s part of a longer conversation/explanation. A lot of the ‘mentioned by Richard’ alludes to his observations, in narration, of a certain work being read, handled, etc. by someone else. I hesitated on including these – those works are not technically his references – but decided to specify them anyway since there may be a personal reason as to why he notices and/or recognises something.
Referenced by means this is a more implicit, indirect mention – often for which the source is not acknowledged – or a reference to a character, imagery, etc. that is thus not about the work itself.
Quoted by means it’s directly quoted. This does not include indirect quotes, when certain lines and words from the work are incorporated into the narration or dialogue. That’s either a mention, discussion, or reference depending on the context.
When a quote is an epigram, idiom, prophecy etc., but appears (more or less) clearly in relation to a specific work, this is also included in the list.
Finally, recited/transcribed by means those are longer passages.
As for the page numbers, I am using the 1995 paperback Penguin Books edition. When a work is mentioned again in the same chapter, I list the pages on the same line. When a work is mentioned again in another chapter, I put a little * at the end of the title to indicate that.
This post can also be found on Medium.
Enjoy!
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BOOK I
Chapter 1
Arthur Rimbaud, ‘Alchimie du Verbe’ – quoted by Richard, p.5
Victor Appleton, Tom Swift – mentioned by Richard, p. 6
John Milton, Paradise Lost – mentioned by Richard, p. 8
Virgil, Aeneid – referenced by Richard, p. 32
Philip Roth, Goodbye, Columbus – mentioned by Julian, p. 33
New Testament – mentioned by Richard and Henry, p. 36
Virgil, The Eclogues – mentioned by Richard, p. 37
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War – discussed by Julian, p. 39
Aeschylus, The Oresteia – discussed by Julian, recited by Camilla, p. 40
Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy – discussed by Francis, p. 41
Aristotle, Poetics – discussed by Henry, p. 41
Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars – discussed by Julian, p. 41
Wallace Stevens, ‘Sunday Morning’ – quoted by Henry, p. 41
Homer, Iliad – mentioned by Richard, p. 41
Euripides, The Bacchae – mentioned by Richard, p. 42, discussed and quoted by Julian, pp. 44-45
Chapter 2
Plato, Parmenides – mentioned by Richard, pp. 67, 75-76
John Milton, ‘L’Allegro’ – mentioned by Charles, p. 68
John Milton, ‘Il Penseroso’ – mentioned by Charles, p. 68
Hesiod, Theogony – mentioned by Richard, discussed by Henry and Francis, p. 75
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby – mentioned by Richard, p. 79
Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe – mentioned by Camilla, said to be in Francis’s library, p. 85
Arthur M. Winfield (Edward Stratemeyer), Rover Boys – mentioned by Francis, available in his library, p. 85
Thomas Pennant, London – mentioned by Richard, available in Francis’s library, p. 85
Ned Ward, The History of the London Clubs, or the Citizens Pastime – mentioned by Richard, available in Francis’s library, p. 85
Arthur Sullivan and William Schwenck Gilbert, The Pirates of Penzance – mentioned by Richard, available in Francis’s library, p. 85
Laura Lee Hope, Bobbsey Twins – mentioned by Richard, available in Francis’s library, p. 85
Lord Byron, Marino Faliero, Doge of Venice – mentioned by Richard, available in Francis’s library, p. 85
T.S. Elliot, ‘The Waste Land’ – transcribed by Richard, p. 89
John Milton, Paradise Lost* – discussed by Henry, p. 91
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – referenced by Richard, p. 92
Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary – quoted by Henry, p. 94
Sax Rohmer, Bride of Fu Manchu – mentioned by Richard, owned by Bunny, p.99
Le Duc de Saint-Simon, Mémoires – mentioned by Richard, read by Francis, p. 103
Chapter 3
William Shakespeare, Othello – mentioned by Richard, p. 115
Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy* – mentioned by Richard, taken to Italy by Bunny, p. 115
World Book Encyclopedia – mentioned by Richard, consulted by Bunny, p. 117
E. Tipton Chatsford, Men of Thought and Deed – mentioned by Richard, consulted by Bunny, p. 117
Rupert Brooke, Poems – mentioned by Richard, offered to him by Bunny, p. 120
H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man – referenced by Richard, p. 130
Chapter 4
Pindar, Olympian odes – mentioned by Richard, assignment for Julian, p. 151
Plato, Phaedrus – mentioned by Henry, p. 182
Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy* – discussed by Henry, p. 184
Chapter 5
Horace, Satires – quoted by Henry, p. 193
Euripides, The Bacchae* – mentioned by Richard, p. 204
Charles Baudelaire, ‘Le Léthé’ – quoted by Francis and Henry, p. 221
Callimachus, Hymns and Epigrams – mentioned and quoted by Richard, pp. 223, 225, mentioned by Charles and Camilla, p. 226, quoted by Henry, p. 233
T.S. Elliot, ‘Ash Wednesday’ – quoted by Richard, p. 232
Homer, Iliad – discussed and quoted by Henry, p. 233
Plato, Republic – mentioned by Richard, discussion from Julian’s class, p. 235
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes* – referenced by Richard, pp. 251, 256
Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy* – mentioned by Richard, grabbed by Henry from Richard’s bookshelf, p. 262, translation discussed by Henry, p. 264
L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – referenced by Richard, p. 296
World Book Encyclopedia* – mentioned by Richard, consulted by Bunny, p. 296
BOOK II
Chapter 6
Charles R. Jackson, The Lost Weekend – mentioned by Richard, p. 332
Callimachus, Iambs – quoted by Henry, seemingly incorrectly reported and misinterpreted by Richard, p. 355
The Brothers Grimm, Cinderella – mentioned by Camilla, p. 357
Robert Southey, Goldilocks and the Three Bears – mentioned by Camilla, p. 357
Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy* – referenced by Richard, p. 380, mentioned by Henry, p. 396
Horace, Odes – omen referenced by Henry, p. 387
Virgil, Aeneid* – discussed by Camilla, p. 404, referenced by Richard, p. 406 (while Kassandra/Cassandra appears in many texts, the manic figure Richard is describing seems to be based on Virgil’s depiction)
Alfred de Vigny, Chatterton – mentioned by Richard, p. 406
Heinrich Schliemann, Ilios, the city and country of the Trojans – discussed by Henry, p. 414
Chapter 7
Homer, Iliad* – short passage transcribed by Richard, originally done so by Henry in his letter to Richard, p. 433
Upanishads – mentioned and read by Henry, p. 441, mentioned by Richard, p. 466
Erle Stanley Gardner, Perry Mason – mentioned by Mr Corcoran, p. 442
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment – quoted by Richard, p. 447
First Epistle to the Corinthians – mentioned by Richard, read by the minister at Bunny’s funeral, p. 465
A.E. Housman, ‘With Rue My Heart Is Laden’ – read by Henry at Bunny’s funeral, said to have been known by heart by Bunny, transcribed by Richard, pp. 466-467
John Milton, ‘Lycidas’ – mentioned by Richard, p. 466
Alfred Tennyson, ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ – mentioned by Richard, said to have been appreciated by Bunny, p. 466
John McCrae, ‘In Flanders Fields’ – mentioned by Richard, said to have been appreciated by Bunny, p. 466
Book of Common Prayer – mentioned by Richard, held by Charles, p. 467
Pamela Lyndon Travers, Mary Poppins – referenced by Richard, p. 468
Chapter 8
Plato, Phaedo – mentioned by Julian, p. 476
Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped – mentioned by Francis, p, 493
H. W. Janson, Anthony Janson, Janson’s History of Art – mentioned by Richard, kept in Judy’s room, p. 522
Sir John Suckling, ‘Why So Pale and Wan, Fond Lover?’ – quoted by Richard, p. 549
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland – referenced by Richard, p.554
New Testament* – mentioned by Richard, passages handed in class by the teacher replacing Julian, p. 586
Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island – referenced by Richard, p. 595
Epilogue
John Marston, The Malcontent – mentioned and read by Richard, p. 615
John Webster, The White Devil – mentioned and read by Richard, p. 615
John Ford, The Broken Heart – mentioned and read by Richard, p. 615
Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus – passages transcribed by Richard, p. 616
Thomas Middleton (previously attributed to Cyril Tourneur), The Revenger’s Tragedy – mentioned by Richard writing a dissertation on it, p. 616
Arthur Rimbaud, ‘Le Bateau ivre’ – quoted by Francis in his letter, p. 616
Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend – read to Francis by Richard, p. 619
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes* – referenced by Francis, p. 622
Terence, Andria – quoted by Richard, p. 624
Homer, Iliad* – mentioned by Richard, p. 627
Honourable mention: the Greek class Bible, a.k.a Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, and Roderick McKenzie, A Greek–English Lexicon, a.k.a ‘the Liddell and Scott’ – mentioned by pretty much everyone at various points.
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Notes:
Please feel free to give me feedback and tell me if I’ve missed anything by contacting me via here, Twitter or Instagram. I will edit the list and credit you (unless you don’t want me to) in an ‘edits’ section keeping track of the updates. I’m still unclear on what the first reference in chapter 6 is, for instance, so if anyone can tell me, I would be very grateful.
As mentioned in the introduction, this post is also available on Medium.
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I had, back in 2013 or so, a literary blog I'd post book reviews on. I was a teenager, with two or three people actually following my reviews, but I loved reading so it was pretty fun nevertheless.
Then one day, I thought, why not ask one of my favourite authors, Cornelia Funke, whether I could interview her for an article?
I was 14, with zero background in journalism, but I'd been reading her for a while and I was absolutely passionate about her work. So, without much hope, I contacted her via her website and she actually, and very kindly, accepted to answer some of my questions.
While I deleted the literary blog I'm talking about, I did keep the interview in my e-mails and I think it's a shame to not share it with other people again (especially the Inkworld fandom here which is small but wonderful) since Cornelia was really sweet and took the time to give very elaborate and enlightening answers.
Now, this is old, from June 2013, so a lot of the information given is outdated and irrelevant by now, but there's so much that's still fascinating and that I love about what Cornelia said.
I'd also like to point out that some sentences have been edited for clarity.
So, have fun reading it, and feel free to react and ask me questions about the interview and my experience conducting it!
[Interview done on 19.06.13 via e-mail]
Q: I know that you are currently working on Book 3 of MirrorWorld. Do you have any other project going on ?
Cornelia Funke: As this series seems to be growing into at least five books the research is so intense that I stay away from any other bigger project. I'm doing short stories though, for younger readers, as they may otherwise think I forgot them behind the Mirror. I'm also working on several Apps ( though I prefer to call them Breathing Books :) ) for my worlds, as I was not very happy with the visual interpretations the movies did so far. MirrorWorld is done, Dragonrider is next, and we'll also soon start with Inkworld.
Q: What is the last book that you've read and loved ?
C.F.: I am mostly reading research for MirrorWorld. I just read the most enchanting Canadian Folk Tales and several books on Russia. As for fiction, I have just been through all the Sherlock Holmes stories as I had to write one myself for an Anthology and I got completely addicted. Then I read R.L. Stevenson on writing and travelling and ....as you see, I am a bookeater with piles everywhere in the house :)
Q: The classic question: what are the 3 books that you would take with you on an island ?
C.F.: The Once and Future King, by T.H.White
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
The Rain King, by Saul Bellow (though of course I could name a hundred other titles here and I would feel each time that I forgot a favourite one)
Q: Did you want to be a writer when you were a child? If not, what was your dream job back then ?
C.F.: No, I wanted to be an astronaut. Quite seriously – until I realized I needed to get military training for that. It was the time of the moon landing and Star Trek after all :) I think I was also quite disappointed by the space ships they had come up with so far. An echo of this childhood passion is probably my addiction to Dr Who and the TARDIS in my Writing House.
Q: Who are the authors that inspired you ?
C.F.: Every author I ever read, both the good and the bad ones. Sometimes the bad ones teach you even more what you want to achieve as a writer. Among my favourite writers are Dickens, Kipling, Tolkien (though I like T.H.White better), Somerset Maugham, Maupassant, Astrid Lindgren, Toni Morrison, Michael Ondaatje, Graham Greene, Heinrich Heine, Ted Hughes, R.L.Stevenson, Mark Twain, Neil Gaiman, David Almond, Margaret Atwood, Annie Proux etc etc etc as you see I like many and very different printed dishes.
Q: In what circumstances do you prefer to write ?
C.F.: I can write everywhere by now, at airports, train stations, in hotel rooms, cafés, restaurants, waiting for a friend on a park bench....I always have a notebook and a pen with me and all my friends know that I love them to be late as these minutes give me the best ideas. But there are three places especially dear to me: my Writing House in Los Angeles, my daughter's apartment in London and....the Getty high up on the hill in LA.
Q: When you're writing a novel, do you know exactly how it's going to end, or is it also a surprise for you ?
C.F.: No, I need and want the surprise! Otherwise I get very bored!
Q: In which of the worlds you created would you prefer to live ?
C.F.: MirrorWorld. For at least ten lives :)
Q: Who is your favorite character from your books? Who is the one with whom you identify the most?
C.F.: Hmm... now they are all listening and they will all be terribly sad if I don't mention their name. Therefore, allow me to name a few (and tell the others that the selection is quite random): Prosper from Thief Lord, Dustfinger and Elinor from Inkworld, Twigleg from Dragonrider, Longespee from Ghostknight, and then of course Jacob (I can't get enough of him, maybe because he reminds me of my son Ben). As for whom I identify the most with, that is easy – Fox. And sometimes, the Dark Fairy :)
Q: I literally fell in love with the Inkworld saga and Dustfinger has to be my favourite character. How did he come to you?
C.F.: He just stepped into my mind, with the marten on his shoulder. I was not sure about his profession though, until I saw some fire eaters on a medieval market in Germany. He also brought his name. I never had to wonder what he looks like or who he is. He was just there – one of the easiest characters I ever wrote about, and always very close to my heart.
Q: Why did you choose Venice as a setting in The Thief Lord? What does that city represent to you ?
C.F.: I had the idea for the book in Venice and I thought it would make the most perfect setting because it is such a perfect place for children – no traffic to watch for, a labyrinth of alleyways to get lost in, a time machine built from water and stone. I love to set books in a real place to enable my readers to follow the story and literally touch it. There is so much magic in reality. It all comes from there. I did a similar thing with Ghostknight, which I set in Salisbury, England.
Q: Your books inspired many movies and plays. How do you feel about your stories getting adapted?
C.F.: For many years I allowed every kind of adaptation just because I felt it was such an honour to be interpreted by other artists. I feel slightly different by now. So often the interpretation was so different from what I had seen in my mind. So often all the work I had put into a book was shrunk down, simplified or simply changed. All this made me develop my version of MirrorWorld last year and it was the very first time I had the blissful feeling that other artists made me see my world even more clearly. As a friend of mine said when she saw the MirrorWorld App: "But this is more you than you!" After this experience I will be much stricter with adaptations as I now know how good they can be!
Q: If another movie was made based on one of your novels, which one would you like it to be? And would you like Brendan Fraser to take the lead once more? (I, personally, would like that very much)
C.F.: :) Brendan is still the most brilliant SilverTongue who ever read my books on tape, but for MirrorWorld and Jacob Reckless he would definitely be the wrong cast. I have no actor in mind for Jacob so at the moment I couldn't imagine a movie for this world. As for the other InkBooks – I am not sure I would allow an adaptation. The first movie taught me how much can go wrong although everyone is passionate about the project and although so many brilliant actors and artists were involved, it doesn't show at all what I saw when I wrote the books.
Q: Words are of great importance in your books. Do you see them more as tools you can use to create your stories or would you also say that they have a life of their own?
C.F.: A brilliant painter is nothing without paint. A brilliant carpenter is nothing without wood. The words are what I weave the carpet from and only if I choose the right one will the carpet fly! And yes, they for sure have a life of their own! As does the story!
Q: Is there any advice you can give to aspiring authors like me?
Always carry a notebook and a pen with you. Grab the ideas when they show themselves, as they will hide again. Never tell a story where to go. Let the story tell you – though sometimes you may have to fight with it about the direction. Always be curious about everything – inside and outside :)
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