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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
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Sibyls and Sphinxes:
The narrator of The Beast in the Jungle describes May Bartram by alluding to figures in Egyptian and Greek history and mythology, such as sphinxes and sybils. As indicated in Chapter 5, these characters reflect May's reticent, riddle-speaking, hint-dropping tendencies:
She spoke as with the softness almost of a sick child, yet now at last, at the end of all, with the perfect straightness of a sibyl. She visibly knew that she knew, and the effect on him was of something co-ordinate, in its high character, with the law that had ruled him.
Related Themes:
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Sibyls and Sphinxes:
The narrator of The Beast in the Jungle describes May Bartram by alluding to figures in Egyptian and Greek history and mythology, such as sphinxes and sybils. As indicated in Chapter 5, these characters reflect May's reticent, riddle-speaking, hint-dropping tendencies:
Unlock with LitCharts A+She spoke as with the softness almost of a sick child, yet now at last, at the end of all, with the perfect straightness of a sibyl. She visibly knew that she knew, and the effect on him was of something co-ordinate, in its high character, with the law that had ruled him.
Related Themes:
