When poets refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References:
- Judas (25)
- John the Baptist (34)
- St. John (354, 375)
- Herodias (196)
- St. Laurence (person) (323, 328)
- St. Ambrose (355)
- Job (357, 358)
- St. Lucy (387)
Historical References:
- The Carmine: Santa Maria del Carmine church in Florence, Italy. (7)
- Cosimo of the Medici (17, 29, 78, 100)
- Saint Laurence (place) (67)
- Jerome (73)
- Carmelites (139)
- Camaldolese (139)
- Preaching Friars: Dominican friars (140)
- black and white monks: This refers to the color robes each order wears. The Benedictine monks wore black and the Carmelite monks wore white. (145)
- Giotto: Giotto di Bondone was an Italian Renaissance painter, notable for his realism. (189)
- Brother Angelico: one of the greatest Italian painters of the 15th century. (235)
- Brother Lorenzo: noted Italian painter of the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, famed for his gold-leafing techniques. (236)
- Giudi: highly-influential fifteenth-century Italian painter, also associated with Lippo's monastery. (276, 277)
- Sant'Ambrogio (346)
Pop Culture References:
- "Flower" songs: These snippets of lyrics are in the form of popular Italian lyrics of the time, called stornelli. (53-57, 68-69, 110-111, 238-239, 248-249)
- hot cockles: a game popular at Christmastime in England. (381)