This is a thread regarding culture in culture - for example a character in a movie naming a favorite song, or a novel protanist watching a specific film: any culture in any fictional story telling art.
I have divided this sort of “culture in culture” into two categories:
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the name drop: The name drop is the subtle way for the author to plant his or her favorite song, comic, etc. into his or her art. It can be to give praise to a source of inspiration or to get credibility. An example of this is Vince Vega reading the comic Modesty Blaise in Pulp Fiction. The name drop usually doesn’t fill a function, but it gives the reader/listener/viewer an idea of the tastes of the creator (ever notice how many literary protagonists listen to jazz?).
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the plot leading culture reference: The plot leading culture reference is a name drop that has moved up from just being an honorary mention to actually be a part of the plot. An example of this is Alexander’s obsession with Beethoven in the book A clockwork orange.
Any thoughts on this?