ALLUSIONS

Last year I paid a lot of attention to figures of speech because I wanted to start
writing better, so I was pretty much interested in learning how to do it. Although
there are many figures of speech, the one that captured my attention and the one I
wanted to highlight were allusions. Why would I choose allusions among all of them?
Well, for me, they are very practical. Although they can apparently not be very showy
or maybe if you’re reading fast you don’t stop and pay attention to them, you should
be noticing them from now on. Allusions can give context, characteristics and
descriptions depending on which situation they are used. It’s important to be able to
notice them and understand them because if not, it can change the meaning of what
you’re reading.

I knew I had seen allusions in almost every novel I’ve read, on films and even on
songs, so we have to keep in mind that they are very useful. And there are different
types of allusions. For example, biblical allusions were the hardest for me. Although
I’ve been to a catholic school I know nothing about religion, so it was very interesting
to learn what the allusions meant instead of just skipping them. In A Dog’s Life by
Peter Mayle, Boy makes fun of his owner by calling him Nimrod, which is sometimes
used in English to mean either a tyrant or a skillful hunter, on purpose because he
was an awful hunter. The quote says “He was arrayed in full jungle
camouflage (...) a bag slung over one shoulder, a gun over the other,
Nimrod the hunter in fancy dress” and then Boy says “Nimrod got out but
made me stay in the van.” Also, in the short story Trial and Error from the book
Twelve Red Herrings, Richard says “He surpassed himself with his
description of Rosemary as a calculating, evil Jezebel” This is alluding to
Jezebel from the Old Testament, and it’s used to portray a shameless, scheming and
immoral woman who deceives people in order to get what she wants, so this is used
to describe Rosemary. But authors not only can allude to biblical names, they can use
concepts from religion. For example in Dougie Morton’s Right Arm, another short
story from Twelve Red Herrings, the old priest says “Suicide. A bit silly, when
you think about it, even if it is a mortal sin.” It’s alluding to the New
Testament, which says that suicide is a mortal sin because it’s included in the 10
Commandments.

When it comes to mythological allusions that you’re not very familiar with, you’ll
probably have to search them up. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the chasuble
says “But I must not disturb Egeria and her pupil any longer.” Egeria was a
nymph in Roman mythology who became a trusted advisor and companion of the
King. She advised him on the creation of Rome's laws and rituals. Her association
with teaching and discipline are appropriate for Miss Prim’s character. In the short
story, Recipe for Murder, the narrator Inspector Minor, describes Madame Chalon
who was accused of two murders as “A Minerva of a woman” Minerva is the
roman name for the Greek goddess Athena, the goddess of knowledge. When he said
this, he intended to imply that Madame Chalon is a very wise and intelligent woman.

A perfect example of giving context with an allusion is when in The Importance of

Being Earnest, Lady Bracknell says “Never speak disrespectfully of Society,
Algernon.” She is alluding to Victorian Society, which was characterized by a
gender and class-based society. In the book, the word society is with the first letter in
capital letters. Another historical allusion is when in A Dog’s Life Boy mentions “The
two I met that day would have given Genghis Khan nightmares.” Genghis
Khan was a supreme ruler and conqueror in Asia. Boy is telling a joke by saying this
because he met two uncontrollable dogs that not even Genghis Khan could have
controlled.

Last but not least, in novels, there are many literary allusions. They usually refer to
classic books or authors. In Educating Rita, Rita talks about how she understood the
allusions in Frank’s poetry, and that some time earlier she couldn’t have been able to
recognize them, because she was uneducated. She states that “she can see now” and
then Frank says “(…) from now on I shall insist upon being known as Mary,
Mary Shelley.” He alludes to Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein because he
thinks that he created a “monster” by changing Rita’s education and her way of
thinking. He’s sure she lost her true self by being pretentious and false. Another one
is when in Gerald Durrell’s The Whispering Land the author says “I was just about
to try and put this plan into Spanish, when round the corner of the road
on the opposite bank appeared a Fairy Godmother, heavenly disguised as
a wheezing, snorting lorry”. He commented this when they were in the middle of
a flood and saw a lorry. He’s alluding to classical children's stories which mention
fairy godmothers, who are magical characters that help someone who is in trouble.

To sum up, allusions are very functional. They are convenient if you’re trying to
write something original with clever references, without being too obvious and
explicit. If you read something you don’t understand, you’ll miss the meaning and
importance of a phrase or a single word. Allusions are only successful if the reader
recognizes and interprets them clearly.