Happy Festivus! This holiday, made famous by the show about nothing, Seinfeld, is a non-religious alternative to the other holidays this time of year. Forget Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. This parody holiday is jam-packed with an aluminum pole, the airing of grievances, and feats of strength. To celebrate, enjoy this list of five literary references in Seinfeld. It's a Festivus miracle!
War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy
In the episode "The Marine Biologist," Elaine needs to impress Russian writer Yuri Testikov so that he will sign with her company. When she learns that he is a huge fan of Leo Tolstoy, she shares a bit of information, passed to her by Jerry, that War and Peace was originally titled 'War, What is it Good For?' Of course, this isn't true and the comment only serves to anger Testikov.
Moby-Dick
Herman Melville
In the episode "The Ex-Girlfriend" we learn that Jerry just doesn't understand books. When George asks Jerry to go to an ex's apartment to retrieve some books he left there, Jerry is bothered. He doesn't get why people keep books they have already read (tsk-tsk Jerry). His reasoning is that Moby-Dick doesn't change the second time you read it.
Tropic of Cancer
Henry Miller
In the episode "The Library," Jerry learns that he is being charged fees for an overdue book from 1971. The library investigator Lt. Bookman claims he did not return his copy of Tropic of Cancer and Jerry swears he did. He tries to trace the events of what happened on that day and finally realizes he had given the book to George.
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