What is a literary allusion in a short story?

Answer 1

Allusion is a reference to something outside the story itself. For example, the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck uses an allusion to Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse" in its title. One of the lines of the poem says, translated, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." This idea then relates to the book.

Look in the story for some reference to a person, place, event, etc, from outside the story itself. Maybe there's a line that says the girl has Lucille Ball comedy or Harpo Marx hair. That would be an allusion. We have to be culturally literate to understand allusions since they reference material that is not in the text.

An allusion deals with outside sources in a novel. They "allude" to a specific event, person, place, or time in history, literature, mythology or religion. For example, one could write that the mountain would make Zeus bow at its knees. (personification and mythical allusion)

An example of a religious or biblical allusion would be "I walked into the crowd and everyone parted in reverence like the red sea." (biblical allusion to Moses parting the red sea)

An example of a literary allusion would be "We were forced to move west, as if we were the Joads" (Literary allusion to John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath)

An example of an allusion to a specific event, person, and time in history would be "As I walked through the door, I felt as if I'd stepped into Rome straddling the line to civil war, as if I were Caesar about to cross the Rubicon."

Allusions are fairly simple concepts. An allusion is just a reference.

Answer 2

A literary allusion in a short story is a reference to another work of literature, such as a famous novel, poem, or play. It is a way for the author to add depth and layers of meaning to the story by drawing on the themes, characters, or events of the referenced work. For example, mentioning a character like "Romeo" in a modern short story would be a literary allusion to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

Answer 3

An allusion is a reference an author (or speaker) makes to a previous literary work, generally. In contemporary fiction, authors often allude to current events, meaning that they refer to events that are happening now and often dominate the headlines. Typically, when one asks about an allusion though, the person is thinking of an allusion to classical literature. For example, if you were to read a text on pursuing unrealistic, fantastic goals and you saw the phrase "tilting at windmills" that would be an allusion to Cervantes' novel Don Quixote.

Answer 4

Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.

For instance, you make a literary allusion the moment you say, "I do not approve of this quixotic idea," Quixotic means stupid and impractical derived from Cervantes's "Don Quixote", a story of a foolish knight and his misadventures.

Answer 5

Allusion is something that is hint at something else. it is similar to a symbol. For instance, the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland alludes to the Queen of England.