Previous
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—Shattered Mirror:
In "The Mark on the Wall," Woolf dwells at length on the marked difference between self-perception and perception by another, utilizing the image of a mirror. In this passage, Woolf alludes to Alfred, Lord Tennyson's famous lyrical poem, "The Lady of Shalott":
Suppose the looking glass smashes, the image disappears, and the romantic figure with the green of forest depths all about it is there no longer, but only that shell of a person which is seen by other people - what an airless shallow, bald, prominent world it becomes! A world not to be lived in.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Parcels and Asphodel:
More than once, Woolf alludes to or explicitly mentions prominent locations featured in Greek mythology. The underworld, or "Hades," is a site of particular fixation:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Why, if one wants to compare life to anything, one must liken it to . . . Tumbling head over heels in the asphodel meadows like brown paper parcels pitched down a shoot in the post office!
Related Themes:
