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Literature vocabulary · Literary Devices and Figures of Speech

Allusion

Meaning in literature, with examples

/əˈluːʒn/nounCommon term

In literature, allusion means: A brief, indirect reference to a well-known person, place, event or text, such as the Bible, Greek myth or Shakespeare, that the writer expects readers to recognize.

In Turkish: telmih, gönderme, anıştırma

How it is used

Common in essays on poetry and modern literature. A text makes or contains an allusion to something; the verb is allude to. T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land is famous for its dense allusions. Everyday phrases like 'Achilles' heel' began as allusions.

Example sentences

  1. The title is an allusion to the story of Noah's flood.

  2. Readers who miss the allusions to Greek myth will lose half the meaning.

Common collocations

  • an allusion to
  • biblical allusion
  • classical allusion
  • make an allusion
  • literary allusion
  • intertextualityThe way texts shape and depend on other texts, through quotation, allusion, parody, imitation or rewriting, so that meaning comes partly from these connections.
  • figure of speechA use of words in a non-literal or unusual way to create a special effect or meaning, such as a metaphor, simile, hyperbole or personification.
  • symbolAn object, person, place or event in a text that stands for a larger idea beyond its literal meaning, such as a journey that represents life.
  • metaphorA figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were something else, without using 'like' or 'as', to show a hidden similarity.

More terms: Literary Devices and Figures of Speech

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