uncertainties and dubious references...

With my last read of Streetcar I took note of some things that I didn't understand so that I could look them up.  Here's what I learned:

1. Scene One: Blanche makes a Poe reference in talking about her sister's apartment "Out there I suppose is the ghoul haunted woodland of Weir!"  I couldn't remember this reference from the Poe poetry I'd read so I had to dig for it...but found the reference in the poem Ulalume. So clearly this isn't a kind reference.       
2. Scene Two: Blanche sprays herself with and atomizer... which is exactly what I thought it was (an old fashioned perfume bottle)..but had to check to make sure (we don't see these much anymore).  
3. Scene Three: Blanche says: "Poker is fascinating. Could I kibitz?"  Kibitz apparently means to look on and offer unwanted advice! Haha...this made me laugh!
4. Scene Three: Mitch asks Blanche if she is French and she replies: "We are French by extraction. Our first American ancestors were French Huguenots." I guess this is just a different word for Protestant...so she's a Protestant I guess we have that in common (though I'm not French!)
5. Scene Four: Blanche has Stella look through her purse to find "Sixty-five measly cents in coin of the realm" I'm guessing this must be a money note? From Webster: 1 : the legal money of a country 2: something valued or used as if it were money in a particular sphere <information is the coin of the realm in the capital — Eloise Salholz et al.>
6. Scene Four: Blanche says: 'Money just goes--it goes places. Sometime today I've got to get hold of a bromo!" From Webster: 

   bro·mo

    noun \ˈbrō-(ˌ)mō\: a dose of a proprietary effervescent headache remedy and antacid
7. Scene Four: Blanche says: "Look who's coming! My Rosenkavalier! Bow to me first... now present them! Ahhh - Merciiii!"" This is a reference to a comedic opera written by German playwright Richard Strauss
   
   ...essentially Rosenkavalier is a young lover who presents the silver rose to another man's fiancé. 
8. ALL OF THE FRENCH SPEAK: Scene 6: Blanche says:
1. "I want to create joie de vivre!"- translates to: carefree enjoyment of life  
2. "Je suis la Dame aux Camellias Vous etes-- Armand"-- A line adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ (1824-1895) play “La Dame aux Camélias” The English translation of this French line means “ I am the lady of Camellias! You are Armand”.
3. “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? Vous ne comprenez pas? Ah, quelle dommage! – I mean it’s a damned good thing.”--translates to: do you want to sleep with me tonight? you do not understand? Aw, what a shame! It's a damned good thing.
9. Scene Ten: Blanche says: "How about taking a swim, a moonlight swim at the old rock-quarry?" A rock quarry is an open-pit mine. These excavation areas are often used to gather useful materials that are not deep underground, such as limestone, gravel, marble, slate, and all manners of construction materials. Rock quarries were open, isolated areas during the night. They were also sometimes not so far away from cities, thus they are excellent private recreational areas. The excavation sometimes creates pools collected from rain, which could be swam in.
   
    Blanche is talking to "a group of spectral admirers". She is suggesting that they visit the old rock quarry for a bit of swimming, if "anyone's sober enough to drive a car", implying that the invisible group of admirers are drunk, perhaps from an imaginary party
10. Scene Ten: Blanche says: "Shall we bury the hatchet and make it a loving cup?" --A loving cup is generally a cup that is shared between friends at events such as large dinners etc.
11. Scene Ten: Blanche says: "I think of myself as a very, very rich woman! But I have been foolish-casting my pearls before swine!"  refers to "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matthew 7:6). Of course, these words of Jesus are allegorical. I doubt that any were literally casting pearls before swine. The meaning is pretty simple to figure out; "Do not persist in offering what is sacred or of value to those who have no appreciation for it, because your gift will not only become contaminated and be despised, your generous efforts could also be rebuffed and perhaps even openly attacked." 
12. Scene Eleven: Blanche says "That cool yellow silk--the boucle." 
    
    A type of yarn that consists of patterns of loops. (Boucle)
    Whereas a working-class individual would have identified the article of clothing as a sweater, Blanche identifies is by its yarn.
    
    
    13. Scene Eleven: Blanche says "It's Della Robbia blue" Luca Della Robbia is a Florentine sculptor famous for his glazed terracottas. The blue he uses is light with a mixture of gray. (Della Robbia colours) I knew I recognized the reference...I studied Della Robbia and several of his terracottas when I lived in Florence.
    

    
    Once again, Blanche's upper-class upbringing is shown here as she identifies a color after a famous Italian sculptor. Her knowledge of the fine arts contrasts with the ignorance shown by Stanley.
    
    

Whew! I learned a lot!!!