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An allusion is an indirect reference to a concept, person, thing, or event from literature, history, religion, myths, legends, or popular culture. The goal is to improve the audience’s understanding of a text or topic by appealing to other sources. Examples include Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, TS Eliot’s “Gerontion,” and pop culture references like The Godfather and Gone with the Wind. Allusions may be intended for a select group and assume the reader or listener will recognize the reference.
An allusion is a reference to a concept, person, thing, or event. The allusion is often indirect and can come from any number of sources such as literature, history, religion, myths and legends, or popular culture. When an author or speaker alludes to something, they assume that the reader or listener will recognize the reference and be familiar with the source. In rare circumstances, an allusion may be intended for a select group and not all readers will understand the reference.
A literary example of an allusion would be the comic monologue performed by the Duke in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. When the duke opens up, “To be or not to be, that is the naked asshole,” readers immediately know that Twain has alluded to William Shakespeare’s original Hamlet soliloquy “To be or not to be, that is the question… patient merit of th ‘unworthy takes, When he himself might make his quietus, With a bare bodkin…” Twain alluded to Hamlet, but twisted the words to show the duke’s idiocy and deceit.
TS Eliot’s “Gerontion” (1920) also uses an allusion in reference to the “hot gates” referring to the 5th century BC battle of Thermapylae between the Greeks and Persians. In “Gerontion,” Eliot says, “I was neither at the hot gates, nor fought in the hot rain.” This could be a reference example intended for a small group of readers, those who are familiar with writing Greek.
An allusion can also be found in some cases of pop culture. When an individual jokes that he plans to make someone an offer he can’t refuse, we hear echoes of Don Corleone’s famous words in The Godfather (1972), “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” . Another example of an allusion would be Rhett Butler’s famous words at the end of the book and film versions of Gone with the Wind. Anyone who says, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” is alluding to Butler’s latest departure from Scarlet O’Hara’s life.
The goal of an author or speaker who uses allusion is to improve the audience’s understanding of a text or topic by appealing to other sources.
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