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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
Key Examples in No Country for Old Men
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—80s Television:
In the following excerpt from Chapter 1, Moss flees his pursuers in the desert. In his head, he taunts the men who are hunting him in their truck, contending with the consequences of his decision to return to the scene of the crime. In the process, he alludes to an old television PSA that aired in the 1980s:
The floodplain out there broad and quiet in the moonlight. No way to cross it and nowhere else to go. Well Bubba, what are your plans now? It's four oclock in the mornin. Do you know where your darlin boy is at? I'll tell you what. Why dont you just get in your truck and go on out there and take the son of a bitch a drink of water?
