Twenty-one mini lessons in literature and art history from Woody Allen's new film

Sony Picture Classics

Woody Allen's latest movie, Midnight in Paris, which opens in wide release Friday, is centered on Gil (Owen Wilson), a struggling writer, and his dream-like journey back to 1920s Paris. There, he meets Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, and more, in scenes filled with cultural and literary allusions. Most are middle-brow, some are high-brow, a few are practically inscrutable. To help get you in on the jokes, here's a spoiler-heavy compendium of some of the movie's best references:



Please use a JavaScript-enabled device to view this slideshow

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

Reeves Wiedeman does story research for The New Yorker. Connect