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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Allusions
Explanation and Analysis—Diana:
When detailing the various ways that Mrs. Packletide flaunts her newfound status as a skilled huntress once back in London, Saki includes an allusion to Greek mythology, as seen in the following passage:
From Curzon Street the tiger-skin rug travelled down to the Manor House, and was duly inspected and admired by the county, and it seemed a fitting and appropriate thing when Mrs Packletide went to the County Costume Ball in the character of Diana.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Nimrod and Airplanes:
When describing Mrs. Packletide’s interest in hunting a tiger in India, the narrator includes a biblical allusion as well as an allusion to recent historical events, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The compelling motive for her sudden deviation towards the footsteps of Nimrod was the fact that Loona Bimberton had recently been carried eleven miles in an aeroplane by an Algerian aviator, and talked of nothing else; only a personally procured tiger-skin and a heavy harvest of Press photographs could successfully counter that sort of thing.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Mrs. Packletide’s Status:
In an example of dramatic irony, readers know that Mrs. Packletide did not actually shoot and kill the tiger, while all of the people in her upper-class English social circle believe that she did. (Though Mrs. Packletide killed the tiger in a way, it was only due to the sound of the explosive that he died from a heart attack, not from the actual shot.) The following passage captures the dramatic irony of Mrs. Packletide receiving endless praise and an increase in her social status for something she did not actually do:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Therefore did Mrs Packletide face the cameras with a light heart, and her pictured fame reached from the pages of the Texas Weekly Snapshot to the illustrated Monday supplement of the Novoe Vremya. As for Loona Bimberton, she refused to look at an illustrated paper for weeks, and her letter of thanks for the gift of a tiger-claw brooch was a model of repressed emotions.
Related Themes:
