Allusions In Geek Love
Jonathan Furdon
Contemporary Literature
MWF 9:05
11/15/09
The Allusive Geeks
Throughout literary history, many books and novels have been written so perfectly, that it was almost impossible for it to go unnoticed. Many other authors will often use ideas or phrases from other literary works written before their time, creating a literary allusion. In the novel Geek Love, there are many allusions to speak of, from Shakespeare’s The Tempest to inspirations from the Jonestown Cults, to other Literary Works such as The Things They Carry, to The Iliad and even to Frankenstein. However, the direct allusions to the stories in The Tempest, are the most direct and easy to understand, if you have read the play. In the following, I will Allude to a few …show more content…
The allusion to this part of the story occurs once Miranda is born into the world. It begins when Olympia is holding Miranda and examining her after the birth, and she notices nothing until she turns her over, where she sees an extra appendage, a tail. Olympia realizes that she is not the type of baby that Arty would appreciate, perhaps because she is not freakish enough, and this is where the allusion occurs. “She had Arty’s face and I named her Miranda because Miranda’s father loved her.” (Page 312, Geek Love). She obviously gives her this name because she just wants her daughters father to love her as his own, and this comes directly from The Tempest. In that story, Miranda is Duke Prospero’s beautiful daughter who is sheltered from society, and loved dearly by her father. This allusion is easy to pick out. These people are sheltered from society, and Olly just wants Arty to love Miranda as Prospero loved his daughter. However, if you have not read The Tempest, it would almost be impossible for you to pick up
Contemporary Literature
MWF 9:05
11/15/09
The Allusive Geeks
Throughout literary history, many books and novels have been written so perfectly, that it was almost impossible for it to go unnoticed. Many other authors will often use ideas or phrases from other literary works written before their time, creating a literary allusion. In the novel Geek Love, there are many allusions to speak of, from Shakespeare’s The Tempest to inspirations from the Jonestown Cults, to other Literary Works such as The Things They Carry, to The Iliad and even to Frankenstein. However, the direct allusions to the stories in The Tempest, are the most direct and easy to understand, if you have read the play. In the following, I will Allude to a few …show more content…
The allusion to this part of the story occurs once Miranda is born into the world. It begins when Olympia is holding Miranda and examining her after the birth, and she notices nothing until she turns her over, where she sees an extra appendage, a tail. Olympia realizes that she is not the type of baby that Arty would appreciate, perhaps because she is not freakish enough, and this is where the allusion occurs. “She had Arty’s face and I named her Miranda because Miranda’s father loved her.” (Page 312, Geek Love). She obviously gives her this name because she just wants her daughters father to love her as his own, and this comes directly from The Tempest. In that story, Miranda is Duke Prospero’s beautiful daughter who is sheltered from society, and loved dearly by her father. This allusion is easy to pick out. These people are sheltered from society, and Olly just wants Arty to love Miranda as Prospero loved his daughter. However, if you have not read The Tempest, it would almost be impossible for you to pick up