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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
Act 3
Explanation and Analysis—Great Men:
In the third act, Voynitsky blames Serebryakov for the fact that he hasn't achieved anything big. He feels that he "wasted" and "destroyed the best years" of his life working for the Professor. Alluding to two great men of the 19th century, Voynitsky laments what could have been:
My life is over! I am talented, clever, ambitious… If I’d lived normally, I might have been a Schopenhauer, a Dostoyevsky…
Related Themes:
