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Definition of Allusion

An allusion is a brief reference to a person, place, event, or work of literature that the reader is expected to be familiar with. It allows writers to convey significant meaning concisely. However, allusions are only effective if the reader recognizes and understands the reference. If obscure, allusions can confuse readers. Writers must consider what to reference and how to incorporate allusions meaningfully without losing the reader.

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76 views

Definition of Allusion

An allusion is a brief reference to a person, place, event, or work of literature that the reader is expected to be familiar with. It allows writers to convey significant meaning concisely. However, allusions are only effective if the reader recognizes and understands the reference. If obscure, allusions can confuse readers. Writers must consider what to reference and how to incorporate allusions meaningfully without losing the reader.

Uploaded by

Ánh Dương Hồ
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Definition of Allusion

An allusion is a reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other


literary work with which the reader is presumably familiar. As a literary device,
allusion allows a writer to compress a great deal of meaning and significance into a
word or phrase. However, allusions are only effective to the extent that they are
recognized and understood by the reader, and that they are properly inferred and
interpreted by the reader. If an allusion is obscure or misunderstood, it can lose
effectiveness by confusing the reader.

For example, in his novel Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow’s character “Little Boy” tells
another character who is going to Europe to “warn the Duke.” This is an allusion to
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination initiated the chain of
events leading to World War I. Doctorow’s allusion is effective for readers that
recognize and understand the reference, and it underscores the significance for
readers of how one action in history can lead to long-term global consequences.

Nothing Gold Can Stay (Robert Frost)


Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing Gold Can Stay.

In his poem, Frost makes an allusion to the “fall of man” and exile from Paradise
by referring to Eden and how it “sank to grief.” This allusion helps to connect the
human experience to the poet’s lament about the cycle of life and death, beginning
and ending, in nature. The allusion to Eden also provides an interesting context to
the poem, in that the reader can infer that the fall of man was a natural and possibly
inevitable occurrence, adding to the appreciation of life in its temporary existence.

When creating allusions in a literary work, writers must balance what they choose
to reference and how to incorporate it into their work so it is understandable and
meaningful for the reader. Here are some common types of allusion for a writer to
consider when using this literary device:
- self reference–when a writer references another work of their own
- single reference–when a writer connects their work to another through
allusion
- causal reference–when an allusion is made but it is not essential to the story
- corrective reference–when a writer references another work that is in
opposition by comparison
- apparent reference–when a writer alludes to a specific source but in a
challenging way
- multiple references–when a writer uses a variety of allusions

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