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An allusion is a brief reference to something familiar to the reader, such as a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work. Learn how allusion can create meaning, context, and exposition in literature, and see common examples from everyday speech and classical mythology.
Learn what an allusion is and how writers use it to refer to someone or something outside of the text. Find out how allusions can be direct or indirect, intertextual or autobiographical, and how they enhance the meaning and effect of literature.
Learn what an allusion is and how it works in literature with examples from Moby Dick and Invisible Man. An allusion is a brief but purposeful reference to a person, place, event, or another work of literature that adds meaning and context to the text.
- Definition of Allusion. An allusion is a literary device used to reference another object outside of the work of literature. The object can be a real or fictional person, event, quote, or other work of artistic expression.
- Examples of Allusion in Common Speech. Big Brother: Now a reality television show in countries across the world, the term Big Brother comes from George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 (he, in turn, may have taken the phrase from a WWII-era billboard).
- Significance of Allusion. Authors use allusions intentionally, though it is the reader’s responsibility to understand the reference. Allusions can create meaning in a work that is lost if the reader doesn’t grasp the reference.
- Examples of Allusion in Literature. Example #1. Then turning, I to them my speech address’d, And thus began: “Francesca! your sad fate. Even to tears my grief and pity moves.
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Allusion is a literary device that refers to something without explicitly naming it, assuming shared knowledge between author and reader. Learn about the types, functions, and examples of allusion in Western literature and beyond.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn what allusion is and how it is used in literature and other art forms. See examples of external and internal allusion, and how to distinguish it from citation and foreshadowing.
Learn what allusion is, how it works, and why writers use it. Explore different types of allusion and see examples from literature and pop culture.
