The Art of Allusion #2
In the novel Robert MacKinnon says to his son, "We should not seek temptation. Being men, we have urges leading us into temptations that are best avoided. It was that kind of temptation that brought original sin upon us. I hope as a good Catholic you avoid such temptation, whoever initiates it."
This is a direct reference to John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost." Specifically to Book 9: Lines 364-65. In the poem Adam and Eve are warned:
Adam and Caitlin succumbed to temptation. Their tasting of 'forbidden fruit' was to have sex outside of marriage thus, in Roman Catholic terms, committing a sin.
Mmmh. I wonder how many Literary Agents would have spotted that and others like it...?