Brent holds a Ph.D. in American culture from the University of Michigan. In this essay, Brent explicates literary references in Kingsley's play.

In Detective Story, Kingsley makes a number of references to other works of literature, including the Sermon on the Mount from biblical literature, the Oracle at Delphi from ancient Greek mythology, and the nineteenth-century novels Moby Dick and Les Miserables. In order to appreciate these references, it is helpful to have some knowledge of the individual works to which they refer.

In his introduction to Detective Story, Kingsley explains that he took as his premise for the play the saying "Judge not, lest ye be judged," from the Sermon on the Mount. This is a reference to the biblical Sermon on the Mount, a collection of the teachings of Jesus as written in Matthew. This statement may be interpreted as a warning that no...