Unexpected Literary References Archives » Page 5 of 6

My night with Edgar Allan Poe and screaming teenagers

October 24, 2010

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) Last night I went with a few friends to the Chambers of Edgar Allan Poe Haunted House in the 12th street West Bottoms area of Kansas City. This has become a bit of a tradition for us, going to the haunted houses, which many people consider to be the best in the nation. Being the literary nerd that I am, the Chambers of Edgar Allan Poe house was especially intriguing to me. This is not to discredit the others (The Beast, The Edge of Hell, and Macabre Cinema - this last one is designed to replicate famous horror movie scenes; I'm looking at you Stephen Graham Jones). They are all great, but being able to experience Poe's stories in full round simply meant more to me. This was the first year for the Chambers of Edgar Allan Poe house, and in being so,…

Slaughterhouse-Five means delicious BBQ

October 13, 2010

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) Historically, with these Unexpected Literary References, I have focused on cartoons. But today, when I made my rare trip just a few miles north to Oklahoma Joes Barbecue on 47th street I was reminded of one of the strangest literary references I've encountered. The name of the barbecue team which birthed this amazing restaurant/gas station is Slaughterhouse-Five. Yep. Nothing says "let's eat meat" more than images of dying war prisoners.

Fry eReads; should I too?

August 30, 2010

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) The episode of Futurama titled Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences featured a suspiciously eReader-esque device (pictured in the above screenshot, though the episode contained better images of the device), which got me thinking, yet again, about my inevitable adoption of an eReader. I've held off so far for two main reasons: I simply like having books. Yes, possibly just to show off for my two friends who would be impressed by a bookshelf, but also because I feel that the nurtured associations of a book--the smell, the feel of the pages, the statement of class--are part of the reading experience and actually add to the overall gratification of a finished book. No single eReader delivers what I want. And what do I want? Low price point. Overall, eReaders have recently dropped in price, which is encouraging. But still I feel that $149 is too much. E-ink…

Peter Griffin does porn and literature

August 11, 2010

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) In my continuing hunt for literary references in cartoons, I sometimes forget those that have been with me for years. I've long been a fan of Family Guy, and the episode "Peterotica" features some delightfully tacky parodies of contemporary classic novels used as the titles for Peter Griffin's erotica writings. Enjoy. If you feel so inclined, watch the full episode here. Angela's Asses by Peter Griffin Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt Shaved New World by Peter Griffin Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Harry Potter and the Half Black Chick by Peter Griffin Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K Rowling

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” mentioned in The Simpsons

August 8, 2010

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) Ever since I made my first "Great Unexpected Literary References" post, I seem to have grown keen to book mentions in cartoons. And to be honestly, none has surprised me more than Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," a short story that I assumed was only known among the academic literary cliques. But no. Unless of course Matt Groening, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone were all at one time part of a literary clique. I wouldn't doubt this; those guys are smart. Trey Parker and Matt Stone I mentioned regarding "The Lottery," in my first "Great Unexpected Literary References" post. Today, I bring you a brief mention in Matt Groening's "The Simpsons," this one from an older episode called "Dog of Death." The Simpsons | "Dog of Death" (the image above is a bit fuzzy. To watch the entire episode, click here)

Many Clockwork Oranges

July 30, 2010

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) I was watching an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force the other day (yes, I spend my time wisely), and for the first time I made the connection between the data-injection scene in the "Super Trivia" the infamous video scene in Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange (yes, I said "for the first time" implying that I've seen this episode many times. Like I said, I spend my time wisely). The infamous scene portrays Alex (played by Malcolm McDowell) strapped to a chair, forced to watch morally positive images in order to cure his devilishness. This got me thinking, there has got to be more references out there, sprinkled throughout cartoon-dom. And there are. And surprisingly, the entire gamut from adult-intended cartoons to those created specifically for children, honor this disturbing scene. Though these references may not technically…

Another Great Unexpected “Literary” Reference

July 16, 2010

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) Last night, a new episode of Futurama featured another novel reference. "The Duh-Vinci Code" appropriately features a reference to Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. See the full clip here. The clip is actually quite funny, though isn't this turd of a book a bit of an easy target? Yes, the quotations in the post title around Literary are intentional. I can't bring myself to call The DaVinci Code literary at all. But, still any novel reference is a win for the good guys. See my original list here.