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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 1
Explanation and Analysis—Describing Virginia:
In Chapter 1, the narrator describes the members of the Otis family. Wilde does not state outright that he intends these characters to defy Gothic tropes typical for their roles, genders, and ages, but it is quite clear in the included descriptions that juxtaposition was intended. Take, for instance, the narrator's description of Miss Virginia E. Otis, whose demeanor he outlines using both allusion and simile:
Miss Virginia E. Otis was a little girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine freedom of her large blue eyes. She was a wonderful amazon.
Related Themes:
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Chanticleer:
In the following passage from Chapter 3, Wilde writes his ghost as alluding to Chanticleer, a fictional rooster who features prominently in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, specifically in the Nun’s Priest’s Tale:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[The ghost] ground his toothless gums together; and, raising his withered hands above his head, swore, according to the picturesque phraseology of the antique school, that when Chanticleer had sounded twice his merry horn, deeds of blood would be wrought, and Murder walk abroad with silent feet.
