 The rhyme has also been used as a reference in more serious literary works , including as a recurring motif of the Fall of Man in James Joyce 's 1939 novel Finnegans Wake . Robert Penn Warren 's 1946 American novel All the King 's Men is the story of populist politician Willie Stark 's rise to the position of governor and eventual fall , based on the career of the corrupt Louisiana Senator Huey Long . It won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize and was twice made into a film All the King 's Men in 1949 and 2006 , the former winning the Academy Award for best motion picture . This was echoed in Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward 's book All the President 's Men , about the Watergate scandal , referring to the failure of the President 's staff to repair the damage once the scandal had leaked out . It was filmed as All the President 's Men in 1976 , starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman . Similarly , Humpty Dumpty is referred to in Paul Auster 's 1985 novel City of Glass , when two characters discuss him as " the purest embodiment of the human condition " and quote extensively from Through the Looking Glass . 
 The rhyme <a href='been_done' title='1'><mark>has</mark></a> also been used as a reference in more serious literary works , including as a recurring motif of the Fall of Man in James Joyce <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>1939 novel Finnegans Wake . Robert Penn Warren <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'s</mark></a>1946 American novel All the King <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'s</mark></a>Men <a href='drop_aux' title='5'><mark>is</mark></a>the story of populist politician Willie Stark <a href='null_genetive' title='6'><mark>'s</mark></a>rise to the position of governor and eventual fall , based on the career of the corrupt Louisiana Senator Huey Long . It won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize and was twice made into a film All the King <a href='null_genetive' title='7'><mark>'s</mark></a>Men in 1949 and 2006 , the former winning the Academy Award for best motion picture . This was echoed in Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward <a href='null_genetive' title='8'><mark>'s</mark></a>book All the President <a href='null_genetive' title='9'><mark>'s</mark></a>Men , about the Watergate scandal , referring to the failure of the President <a href='null_genetive' title='10'><mark>'s</mark></a>staff to repair the damage once the scandal <a href='been_done' title='11'><mark>had</mark></a> leaked out . It was filmed as All the President <a href='null_genetive' title='12'><mark>'s</mark></a>Men in 1976 , starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman . Similarly , Humpty Dumpty is referred to in Paul Auster <a href='null_genetive' title='13'><mark>'s</mark></a>1985 novel City of Glass , when two characters discuss him as " the purest embodiment of the human condition " and quote extensively from Through the Looking Glass . 
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