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Exploring Red Dead Redemption II’s literary allusions and influences.

  • Table of Contents
  • Most Recent
  • Index & TL;DR
  • Works & People
  • Resources
  • About
  • On Interpretation
  • Table of Contents
  • Most Recent
  • Index & TL;DR
  • Works & People
  • Resources
  • About
  • On Interpretation
  • Arthur Morgan on a Thoroughbred horse near the swamp at dawn.
    IX. Various Works

    The Strange Statues in RDR2: And More Allusions to American Literature

    April 23, 2025 /

    Learn the story behind RDR2's Strange Statues, plus much more.

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  • Arthur Morgan riding through a green field in the Heartlands towards the rising sun.
    IX. Various Works

    More Secrets & Mysteries: The Strange Man’s Cabin in RDR2

    April 9, 2025 /

    As should be apparent by now, RDR2’s use of literature ranges from deep and extensive to brief and glancing. Sometimes, the writers allude to a work broadly rather than dealing with its themes.

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  • Arthur Morgan in the bayou on an Andalusian horse. He's silhouetted against the setting sun and surrounded by trees.
    I. Paradise Lost

    Pleasance and Eden: More Allusions to Paradise Lost in RDR2

    August 28, 2024 /

    I've discussed Paradise Lost in some depth now, but there are still quite a few allusions that didn't fit elsewhere. This also seems like the best place to discuss the other allusions to the Romantics in the game. Here's a roundup of the essays, followed by a list of the other references the game makes.

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Categories

  • i. Meta
  • I. Paradise Lost
  • II. Paradise Regained
  • III. Arthurian Legend
  • IV. Interlude: Desperado
  • V. Wuthering Heights
  • VI. The Bible
  • VII. The Inferno
  • VIII. Shakespeare
  • IX. Various Works

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