ALLUSION as a Literary term

This is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. This device does not give a detailed description of the person or thing to which it refers. Rather, it just passes comment on people or events the readers are expected to possess enough knowledge to mark the reference and take hold of its importance in a text.

For instance, it is a literary allusion when you say,

“He offered me a sum to get vital info about our club. He taught I was going to be a Judas Iscariot.”

Judas Iscariot here means a betrayal derived from the biblical story of Judas Iscariot as recorded in the four gospels of Jesus Christ: A story of a disciple who betrayed his master for thirty shekels of silver.

Why Allusion?

By and large, the use of allusions enables writers or poets to simplify complex ideas and emotions. The readers comprehend the complex ideas by comparing the emotions of the writer or poet to the references given by them. Furthermore, the references to Greek Mythology give a dreamlike and magical touch to the works of art. Similarly, biblical allusions appeal to the readers with religious backgrounds.

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Allusion Examples in Everyday Speech

Allusions are not used in literature alone. They occur very often in our daily expressions.

Some common examples of literary allusion used in everyday life include:

-          I heard Debby and David are getting married soon. No wonder they have been acting like Romeo and Juliet all about the school – “Romeo and Juliet” is a reference to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, two passionate lovers, in his work “Romeo and Juliet”.

-          For him to come to wait while other culprits run, he must have decided to be their Messiah. –This is an allusion to the story Jesus in the Holy Scriptures of who came to deliver his people (Matthew 1:21)

-          This place is like a Garden of Eden. – This is also a biblical allusion to the “Garden of God” in the Book of Genesis.

-          Hey! Guess who the new Shakespeare of our school is?” – “Shakespeare” means a good literary student, who is good at drama and poetic writing. This alludes to the famous playwright and poet, William Shakespeare

-          He is just like my uncle, very strict and principled. – Apart from scholarly allusions, we refer to common people and places in our speech.

Explore more on the examples of allusion from other reliable sources.

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