Historical References

Throughout the book, The Widows of Eastwick, John Updike uses many historical references to religion and older works of art, not just paintings but memorable sites and events. This shows a stronger trust of the writer because he knows so much about so many of these different places and shares all his knowledge with the reader. This makes him a more reliable source and worthy of the reader's trust, which a writer needs in order to entertain the reader, as well as inform, as well as help the reader continue reading.

• page 64: " This...was the last place the old religion was practiced. It lasted until the sixth century A.D., for two hundred years after the Christian edict of Theodosius the First in 378 A.D. Then, it became a church."
• page 63: "The next day brought them to lovable Kom Ombo, a double temple to the crocodile god Sobek and the late Horus-Haroeris, the falcon-headed, out to kill his uncle Seth, who had slain his father, Osiris."
• page 61: " Final rooms held spells for the dead king's guidance from the Book of the Dead and depicted the figures of various deities to be encountered in the Underworld."