Join Dan and Tom as they decode some James Bond influences from History and Literature. Hint: Proust, Dostoevsky, and others may have played a part.

Christopher Booker’s “Seven Basic Plots” identifies the seven main plots that literature tends to stick to. So, we look at some classic literature and its effect on the James Bond movies. Consequently, there aren’t very many different plots to contend with, and Eon Productions has retold the same plot multiple times in their movies.

What we will decode in this episode:

How do Proust’s works parallel a character in the last two James Bond movies? There are multiple ways this character is paralleled in Proust’s writing.
Can Tom stay awake while reading literature?
What real-world characters have helped shape the James Bond movies?
What themes in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE’s Tania Romanova do we see carried over in future James Bond movies?
Who are some of the real-world characters who influence Ian Fleming’s writings?
Do any of the James Bond movie characters have literary influences?
Do Purvis and Wade deserve any credit for CASINO ROYALE’s literary influences?
And of course, much more.

To sum up, there are many characters in literature and history that may have influenced some of the characters we find in the James Bond movies.

Tell us what you think about our look at James Bond influences from history and literature.

Did we get the right influences? Are there other literary references you would make? If so, please let us know.

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