In spite of her feelings for him, Cassandra deflects the conversation at a moment when she thinks he might be about to propose to her, in the belief that he is still in love with Rose. The book closes on an ambiguous note, with Cassandra reminding herself that Simon has promised to return and closing her journal for good by reasserting her love for him. References and allusions Prose works Novels mentioned in I Capture the Castle include À la recherche du temps perdu by Proust and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. At one point in the book Rose and Cassandra begin, but do not finish, a bedtime conversation about whether Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontë is "better". The Vicar describes Cassandra as "Jane Eyre with a touch of Becky Sharp", the latter being the leading character in Vanity Fair. Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" is also mentioned. Cassandra mentions having read What Maisie Knew, thinking it to be a children's book. Villette, also by Charlotte Brontë, is referenced when Cassandra considers "confessing" to the Vicar as a means of soothing her mind. Theatre Cassandra compares Stephen to Silvius, a character in Shakespeare's As You Like It. Simon compares Cassandra to Portia, a character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice when he quotes the line, "Oh, wise, young judge." Biblical episodes Biblical episodes, mainly Jacob's Ladder and Jacob Wrestling, are apparently referred to in Mr Mortmain's successful novel Jacob Wrestling, though the content of that novel is never clearly represented to the reader. Cassandra calls it "a mixture of fiction, philosophy and poetry". Samson and Delilah also play a small part in I Capture the Castle, as Cassandra compares Simon and Rose to them. When he starts to try to write a new book Mr Mortmain considers the theme of Noah's Ark, but finally decides not to use a biblical theme again. Tales and legends "Héloïse" and "Abelard" are respectively the names of the family's dog and cat. Also cited are the "Sleeping Beauty" and "Hansel and Gretel". Verse Stephen plagiarises from numerous poets in an attempt to impress Cassandra, including Algernon Charles Swinburne, then tries to imitate Robert Herrick in his first attempts at original verse. John Keats, G. K. Chesterton, Thomas Nashe and Percy Bysshe Shelley are also quoted. Cassandra also mentions Chaucer and William Langland, and the round "Sumer