Allusion as a Literary Technique

[McKenna]

For one of my writing classes we had to write an allusion. It turned out to be a fun exercise, so I thought I'd challenge the AH Irregulars to write an allusion of their own.

Definition of an Allusion: The act of alluding; an instance of indirect reference.


Before I present my allusion, let me just say I don't think it's great. In fact, my teacher suggested it could be better if I used less words directly from the text in my own piece. I think she could be right.

Once upon a midnight dreary I awoke from a dream, weak and weary. My heart beat rapidly as I peered deep into the darkness, wondering and fearing at the noise which had awoken me. Was that my imagination, or could I just discern a faint tapping against my bedroom door? As I crept stealthily from the bed and pressed my ear to the door, I heard only the wind, and nothing more. And yet the tapping continued and with fright I scoured the darkened room. From whence could such a tapping come if not the wind? To the bathroom I crept --the tapping grew louder and louder till I feared my heart would leap from its breast. But then, I saw it, the faint glimmer of water dripping from the faucet, drip, drip, dripping in the basin, tap, tap, tapping into my consciousness, so I turned the faucet tightly and stopped the drip; the drip to be seen or heard from nevermore.



This second allusion was written by a good friend and fellow Literotican in a story we wrote together:

Megan entered, redressed and cleaned. She was beautiful, though wrapped up as if for a nunnery. "Get thee to one," he wanted to scream. But no, he meant it no more than the prince had.



Have any of you used an allusion in your erotica? If so, share! If not, why not create one?! (Doesn't have to be in reference to erotica.)

 

[impressive]

From Wetter Has Never Been Better:

Surrendering to the music of the night, Stormy allowed herself to relive the wet, wild, and wonderful encounters of the past three days. Her hands retraced the paths so recently traveled by others, kindling the fires of memory. She could feel the cool moss from the bank of the pool at the base of la catarata against her bare back. The smell of cinnamon mingled with the sweet sweat of an epiphany. The taste of caramel skin filled her mouth as her eyes beheld a ballet of raindrops on the tinted glass of a moon roof.

Their hands were all over her. Five pair. Fifty fingers. Missing nothing as they left searing trails of torment in their wake. Stormy tumbled into a roaring collage of recollection that could only be extinguished by allowing it to burn – furious and fast.

She filled herself with her own fingers, beckoning, as her thumb sought the seed of her manumission. In a kaleidoscope of kisses, their lips took over. Tongues of fire licked at her breasts, in turn tough then tender as they led Stormy steadily toward her zenith.

Impaled, times three. Taken in every way while her nipples were bitten by those who knew precisely when pleasure became pain, and when pain became pleasure.

In the orgiastic inferno, Costa Rica called to her, over and over: Entregate.

“I am yours,” Stormy whispered into the night as she burst into flame.

 

[TheEarl]

Do you mean alluding to fiction in a story?

The Earl

 

[Guest]

Earl, from Wikipedia:

Allusion: In rhetoric, an allusion is the implicit referencing of a related object or circumstance, which has occurred or existed in an external context. An allusion is understandable only to those with prior knowledge of the reference in question (which the writer assumes to be so). Allusions are structurally related to idioms. Note: "allusion" should not be confused with an illusion.

Examples:
Utopian discord
A Pearl Harbor sneak-attack
All roads lead to Rome (often an idiom)
A Draconian law
A modern example in popular culture was cited recently in The Matrix Reloaded, wherein Morpheus states, "I have dreamed a dream, but now that dream is gone from me (sic)", which alludes to a quote by King Nebuchadnezzar from Daniel 2:3 of the Old Testament. This is known as a religious allusion.

Pear

 

[TheEarl]

On the EAP theme and The Raven:

I heard tapping, as of someone, gently rapping, rapping on my chamber door. You heard me rapping didn't you?

Line from The Crow.

The Earl

 

[Guest]

Mack (and Earl), you'll find literary allusions throughout most of my writing. I don't work at it, I've just read enough so they come easily and I enjoy making them. So, I'm not going to write something for this thread, can't see doing it out of context of a story or poem, but here's a very brief fave bit from "Drunk on Wednesdays"; my heroine says it to the bloke she's picked up and met in an alley:

"Gawdsfuck, hombre! Fuck my arse, por favor. Tupp me, you moors man."

Background:
1. The story takes place in W. Yorkshire, in "Brontë country".
2. Edgar (Lear refs. earlier) is the bloke my main character meets; he's Yorkshire.
3. Going to eat at a local place Carlotta says, "God, let me eat and get tupped tonight."
    (In Othello Iago tells Desdemona's father, "Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe.")
4. Think Brontë, think moors. Think Othello, think Moor.

Perdita

 

[McKenna]

Hey Imp! Thanks for playing. I'm going to have to admit to some ignorance here: I don't know to which novel/poem/play/literary piece you refer! The writing is very evocative though, I enjoyed it.

Perdita- thanks for answering Earl's question while I was AWOL. Earl, that line from The Crow you quoted is a perfect example! Perdita, I'm quite impressed with yours -and somehow not surprised you use allusions so much in your writing. I think I'll go indulge in one of your stories now.

 

[McKenna]

~giving a bump to one of the few remaining threads on writing left on the AH~

 

[oggbashan]

I can't write without allusions.

Sometimes my allusions are inadvertent.

Sometimes I think 'Why did I bother?' when the feedback shows that the allusions have been ignored or missed.

Some of my stories here - my imitation of Jonathan Swift and parts of The Worst Chain Story Ever Ch.01 - are more than allusion. They are parody which takes allusion to ridiculous extremes.

Og

PS. Someone once referred to Shakespeare as 'full of quotations'. I hope my allusions aren't as obvious as the 'quotes' in Shakespeare.

 

[TheEarl]

I'm embarrassed now. Pear alludes to Shakespeare and Bronte in her work. The only example I can think of in my own is to the film of Spiderman .

I'm sure I've actually done it lots of times, but never really noticed. My style of writing tends to drop lots of little cultural references in without me noticing, partly because it's one of the ways that I communicate, through shared jokes and shared slang.

The Earl

 

[McKenna]

I can't write without allusions.

Sometimes my allusions are inadvertent.

Sometimes I think 'Why did I bother?' when the feedback shows that the allusions have been ignored or missed.

Some of my stories here - my imitation of Jonathan Swift and parts of The Worst Chain Story Ever Ch.01 - are more than allusion. They are parody which takes allusion to ridiculous extremes.

Og

PS. Someone once referred to Shakespeare as 'full of quotations'. I hope my allusions aren't as obvious as the 'quotes' in Shakespeare.

Og, your Gulliver's Travels parody is one of my favorites. I'm sorry you don't get the credit you deserve for fine writing.

 

[McKenna]

I'm embarrassed now. Pear alludes to Shakespeare and Bronte in her work. The only example I can think of in my own is to the film of Spiderman .

I'm sure I've actually done it lots of times, but never really noticed. My style of writing tends to drop lots of little cultural references in without me noticing, partly because it's one of the ways that I communicate, through shared jokes and shared slang.

The Earl

Earl, I think there are times when I expressly avoid alluding to texts, art, or cultural norms because I'm afraid of alienating my audience. I can't say as I've paid much attention to them before I was assigned to write one, partly because I didn't notice the allusion or didn't understand it. I like the feeling of being "included" that comes from finally understanding an allusion. It makes me feel like I've finally made it into the "popular group."

 

[Guest]

I'm embarrassed now. Pear alludes to Shakespeare and Bronte in her work. The only example I can think of in my own is to the film of Spiderman .

That endears you more to me, how sweet and perfect.

Pear

 

[Guest]

Reading Earl and Mack's recent comments causes me to say, or repeat, that I allude for the fun of it and because it's easy for me, and not just to literature but opera, ballet, film - all things I love and know well. Whether I'm writing erotica, a poem, novel or essay, allusion always helps get my thinking and points across. Obviously I don't write for the major smut crowd, but I receive regular feedback from those that get my references and love that I used them. I once received feedback from someone who knew Shakespeare well and we exchange about a dozen notes all in Shakespearean allusions, great fun.

For those that are new to allusion, don't force it. It has to come naturally to you. Look at The Simpsons and all their film allusions. They're easy to get and work, don't they? But the writers had to know the films and know the audience would too. Same with writing.

Perdita

 

[TheEarl]

Just looking at Pear's post - I use it all the time on the AH. I referred to my response to Amicus's post on the freedoms of Britain as being like the laugh of John Reed playing the Mikado in G&S's operetta of the same name and Pear and I went through about 6 posts parodying Waiting for Godot.

Well I feel more cultured now .

The Earl

 

[Guest]

Well I feel more cultured now .

Don't be daft, boy. You're cultured, you're English.

Pear

 

[McKenna]

For those that are new to allusion, don't force it. It has to come naturally to you. Look at The Simpsons and all their film allusions. They're easy to get and work, don't they? But the writers had to know the films and know the audience would too. Same with writing.

Excellent point, Perdita. Thanks for bringing this up.


I've been taking a class on early (19th century) American writers; they allude quite often to the Bible, or even to popular poets/authors of the day. Their allusions reflect what was important and popular in the time in which they are writing; it's like a little slice of a history lesson nestled into their prose. I think the same could be said of the Simpsons.

 

[TheEarl]

Don't be daft, boy. You're cultured, you're English.

Pear

Of course .

The Earl

 

[Guest]

... Their allusions reflect what was important and popular in the time in which they are writing; it's like a little slice of a history lesson nestled into their prose.

By George, I think she's got it! Yes, the bible, the Greeks and Romans were the first primary alllusions in English lit. That's why reading Sh're is such fun, he's utter allusions (and 'borrower').

I attended a performance of Mahler's 9th symphony last weekend and heard Wagner allusions throughout. Art is full of the generous.

P.

 

[McKenna]

for Perdita.

 

[Guest]

for Perdita.

Mucho touched, Mack. Bless you. P.

 

[oggbashan]

I enjoyed Helen Hanff's books, starting with 84 Charing Cross Road.

She wanted to learn English Literature and used Q's (Quiller-Couch's) lectures as a basis.

She had to stop everytime she came to an allusion she didn't understand and then read the reference e.g. the complete works of Shakespeare, the King James Bible, Greek and Roman myths.

Some classics are fairly meaningless without the basic knowledge: The Faerie Queen; Paradise Lost.

I had a book that listed all the books that an English Gentleman would be expected to have read. The book was written during the war and published in 1948. There were a thousand titles. The authors considered this a minimal knowledge for communication with your peers. (Greek works in the original, ditto Latin.) There was a long list of foreign authors from Cervantes and Machiavelli to Luther and Kant. How many "English Gentlemen" educated since the 1944 Education Act would recognise even half the list, let alone read them?

Here are a few from memory: Asser's King Alfred; Butler's Hudibras; Walter Pater; Ernest Bramah 'The Wallet of Kai Lung'; Vasari 'Lives of the Artists'; Cobbett's 'Rural Rides'; Julian of Norwich.

Recognise them all?

I have an Eton School textbook of 1820 which has extracts of Latin authors' biographical passages 'for those in the early stages of their studies of Latin' - my translation of the foreword which was in Latin of course, as are the notes.

Og

PS. In 1948 the term 'English Gentleman' would have been taken to include 'English Gentlewoman' as well.

 

[Guest]

Ogg, I only knew Pater, Vasari and Julian of Norwich. I credit my Catholic schooling for knowing what I know, it was the foundation for leading me to everything I've read/seen/heard/watched of the arts since high school.

I took my B.A. degree late (in my 50s) and was shocked at the average uni student's lack of references outside their "pop" world. Now we have so-called artists only able to reference themselves!

I am not a snob .

Perdita

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I really don't like in-jokes and tricks and authorly cleverness and smugness. I'll stop reading a story when I get the feeling that the author is too pleased with his or her own cleverness, whether it's due to their vocabulary or style or allusions. It's like constantly getting an elbow in the ribs while you're reading.

Personally, I stay away from any allusions in my stories. I find it to be a kind of self-congratulatory, writerly masturbation and generally unattractive. When people don't get the allusions it's a waste of time, and when they do get it, all you've managed to do is show how erudite and clever you are, which usually does little to improve the quality of a story It serves to intrude the author into his or her story, something I try very hard to avoid.

I'm especially careful not to allude to music, which many people do in an attempt to set a specific mood. Because music is so effective in communicating a mood, it's always tempting to do this, and it almost always fails. Unless you pick a piece that everyone knows, something like "Happy Birthday To You", chances are people won't know the piece and immediately feel excluded.

I think allusions are exclusionary too. Unless they're taken from something as well known as the bible, they're just authorly posturing. They have nothing to do with fiction. Too precious for me.

---dr.M.

 

[Guest]

Mab., keep your opinion of course, but why so judgemental (exclusionary, indeed)? Great literature is full of allusions and the richer for it (even the not so great, imo: Hemingway, Kerouac, Ginsberg). I've never seen it as in-jokes, tricks or smugness unless done poorly. Or were you addressing only pop fiction and smut?

Perdita