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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 3
Explanation and Analysis—Utilitarianism:
At the beginning of Chapter 3, the narrator describes Richard Caramel's worldview by alluding to utilitarianism:
From his undergraduate days as editor of The Harvard Crimson Richard Caramel had desired to write. But as a senior he had picked up the glorified illusion that certain men were set aside for “service” and, going into the world, were to accomplish a vague yearnful something which would react either in eternal reward or, at the least, in the personal satisfaction of having striven for the greatest good of the greatest number. This spirit has long rocked the colleges in America. It begins, as a rule, during the immaturities and facile impressions of freshman year—sometimes back in preparatory school.
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Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Plato's Symposium:
Allusions to Plato's Symposium reinforce the novel's themes of love and beauty. The Symposium tells the story of a dinner party among several great thinkers, each of whom offers a different viewpoint on love and desire. For example, love is first discussed as the motivating force that causes people to think about beauty. Then it is presented as a process of first appreciating physical beauty and then realizing the superiority of spiritual beauty. The work emphasizes the goodness of nonphysical beauty and spiritual love while remaining ambivalent about the morality of loving beautiful objects.
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Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—World War I:
World War I (1914-1918) serves as a historical backdrop to The Beautiful and Damned. There are many allusions to it throughout the story. For example, in Chapter 5, Anthony briefly considers the presence of war:
Unlock with LitCharts A+As the conversation continued in stilted commas, Anthony wondered that to him and Bloeckman both this girl had once been the most stimulating, the most tonic personality they had ever known—and now the three sat like overoiled machines, without conflict, without fear, without elation, heavily enamelled little figures secure beyond enjoyment in a world where death and war, dull emotion and noble savagery were covering a continent with the smoke of terror.
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