A Comprehensive List of Every Literary and Scholarly Work Referenced in The Secret History
Ifirst 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 we get to 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, unless the name of the author is there to invoke a certain imagery; e.g., ‘Dantesque’. When a quote is an epigram, idiom, prophecy etc., but appears (more or less) clearly in relation to a distinct work, this is also included in the list.
Mentioned by is a quick mention, while discussed by means the reference belongs to a longer conversation or explanation.
Referenced by means this is a more implicit, indirect mention, or a reference to a character, imagery, etc. that is thus not about the work itself.
Quoted by means it is directly quoted. This does not include indirect quotes, when certain phrasings and words from the work are incorporated into the narration or dialogue. That’s either a mention, discussion, or reference depending on the context.
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, the page is listed on the same line. When a work is mentioned again in another chapter, an asterisk appears at the end of the title to indicate that.
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Enjoy!
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
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 be 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.
