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Classical allusions are references to events or characters in ancient Greek or Roman literature. They create a connection between ideas in a work and something else, often cultural in nature and vary depending on the writer’s needs. They are best understood by an audience with knowledge of the culture.
A classical allusion is a reference to a particular event or character in classical works of literature, such as Roman or Greek works. This type of allusion may be made to a particular work, usually a famous work such as the plays of Homer, in which case they may be exact quotations or simply specific references to events in a work of literature. Such allusions can also be references to popular figures in stories and myths from classical times. A classical allusion is often cultural in nature and usually refers to classical works within a particular society or geographic location.
The exact nature of a classical allusion can vary somewhat, as it is so often culturally dependent, though it usually refers to some ancient story or character. Allusions, in general, are references typically made by a speaker or writer in his or her work, which creates a connection between the ideas in the work and something else. In the case of a classical allusion, this reference is made to figures or stories that come from the ancient past of a certain culture. Such allusions throughout much of Europe and the United States, for example, often refer to ancient Greek or Roman myths, epic poems and plays.
This means that a classic allusion often refers to a story or character that is thousands of years old. Specific reference can be a number of different things, depending on a writer’s or speaker’s needs and the nature of his or her work. Someone writing about a cunning plan someone is hatching to trick an adversary in some way, for example, might refer to a “Trojan horse.” This is an allusion to the history of the Trojan wars and how the armies of Greece used a large wooden horse to trick the people of Troy into allowing their armies into the city, which led to the fall of that city .
In other cultures, however, a classical allusion may refer to other events and figures of historical and classical significance. Chinese works, for example, would likely refer to ancient stories from China’s past, rather than Greek or Roman tales. However, these stories or figures would still be quite ancient and more modern references, even to events 200 years ago, would not be considered classical allusions. This cultural component means that a classic allusion usually works best when a writer or speaker knows his or her audience, and understanding some allusions can be seen as a sign of education or cultural status.
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