Allegory - Wikipedia Allegory From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia   (Redirected from Allegorical) Jump to navigation Jump to search Literary device For the concept in mathematics, see Allegory (mathematics). Pearl, miniature from Cotton Nero A.x. The Dreamer stands on the other side of the stream from the Pearl-maiden. Pearl is one of the greatest allegories from the High Middle Ages.[1] As a literary device, an allegory is a narrative in which a character, place, or event is used to deliver a broader message about real-world issues and occurrences. Authors have used allegory throughout history in all forms of art to illustrate or convey complex ideas and concepts in ways that are comprehensible or striking to its viewers, readers, or listeners. Writers and speakers typically use allegories to convey (semi-)hidden or complex meanings through symbolic figures, actions, imagery, or events, which together create the moral, spiritual, or political meaning the author wishes to convey.[2] Many allegories use personification of abstract concepts. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Types 3 Classical allegory 4 Biblical allegory 5 Medieval allegory 6 Modern allegory 7 Poetry and fiction 7.1 Art 8 Gallery 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links Etymology[edit] Salvator Rosa: Allegory of Fortune, representing Fortuna, the goddess of luck, with the horn of plenty Marco Marcola: Mythological allegory First attested in English in 1382, the word allegory comes from Latin allegoria, the latinisation of the Greek ἀλληγορία (allegoría), "veiled language, figurative",[3] which in turn comes from both ἄλλος (allos), "another, different"[4] and ἀγορεύω (agoreuo), "to harangue, to speak in the assembly",[5] which originates from ἀγορά (agora), "assembly".[6] Types[edit] Northrop Frye discussed what he termed a "continuum of allegory", a spectrum that ranges from what he termed the "naive allegory" of the likes of The Faerie Queene, to the more private allegories of modern paradox literature.[7] In this perspective, the characters in a "naive" allegory are not fully three-dimensional, for each aspect of their individual personalities and of the events that befall them embodies some moral quality or other abstraction; the author has selected the allegory first, and the details merely flesh it out. Classical allegory[edit] The origins of allegory can be traced at least back to Homer in his "quasi-allegorical" use of personifications of, e.g., Terror (Deimos) and Fear (Phobos) at Il. 115 f.[8] The title of "first allegorist," however, is usually awarded to whoever was the earliest to put forth allegorical interpretations of Homer. This approach leads to two possible answers: Theagenes of Rhegium (whom Porphyry calls the "first allegorist," Porph. Quaest. Hom. 1.240.14-241.12 Schrad.) or Pherecydes of Syros, both of whom are presumed to be active in the 6th century B.C.E., though Pherecydes is earlier and as he is often presumed to be the first writer of prose. The debate is complex, since it demands we observe the distinction between two often conflated uses of the Greek verb "allēgoreīn," which can mean both "to speak allegorically" and "to interpret allegorically." [9] In the case of "interpreting allegorically," Theagenes appears to be our earliest example. Presumably in response to proto-philosophical moral critiques of Homer (e.g. Xenophanes fr. 11 Diels-Kranz [10]), Theagenes proposed symbolic interpretations whereby the Gods of the Iliad actually stood for physical elements. So, Hephestus represents Fire, for instance (for which see fr. A2 in Diels-Kranz [11]). Some scholars, however, argue that Pherecydes cosmogonic writings anticipated Theagenes allegorical work, illustrated especially by his early placement of Time (Chronos) in his genealogy of the gods, which is thought to be a reinterpretation of the titan Kronos, from more traditional genealogies. In classical literature two of the best-known allegories are the Cave in Plato's Republic (Book VII) and the story of the stomach and its members in the speech of Menenius Agrippa (Livy ii. 32). Among the best-known examples of allegory, Plato's Allegory of the Cave, forms a part of his larger work The Republic. In this allegory, Plato describes a group of people who have lived chained in a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall (514a–b). The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows, using language to identify their world (514c–515a). According to the allegory, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality, until one of them finds his way into the outside world where he sees the actual objects that produced the shadows. He tries to tell the people in the cave of his discovery, but they do not believe him and vehemently resist his efforts to free them so they can see for themselves (516e–518a). This allegory is, on a basic level, about a philosopher who upon finding greater knowledge outside the cave of human understanding, seeks to share it as is his duty, and the foolishness of those who would ignore him because they think themselves educated enough.[12] In Late Antiquity Martianus Capella organized all the information a fifth-century upper-class male needed to know into an allegory of the wedding of Mercury and Philologia, with the seven liberal arts the young man needed to know as guests.[13] Also the Neoplatonic philosophy developed a type of allegorical reading of Homer[14] and Plato.[15] Biblical allegory[edit] Other early allegories are found in the Hebrew Bible, such as the extended metaphor in Psalm 80 of the Vine and its impressive spread and growth, representing Israel's conquest and peopling of the Promised Land.[16] Also allegorical is Ezekiel 16 and 17, wherein the capture of that same vine by the mighty Eagle represents Israel's exile to Babylon.[17] Allegorical interpretation of the Bible was a common early Christian practice and continues. For example, the recently re-discovered IVth Commentary on the Gospels by Fortunatianus of Aquileia has a comment by its English translator: "The principal characteristic of Fortunatianus’ exegesis is a figurative approach, relying on a set of concepts associated with key terms in order to create an allegorical decoding of the text." (pXIX) Medieval allegory[edit] British School 17th century – Portrait of a Lady, Called Elizabeth, Lady Tanfield. Sometimes the meaning of an allegory can be lost, even if art historians suspect that the artwork is an allegory of some kind.[18] Main article: Allegory in the Middle Ages Allegory has an ability to freeze the temporality of a story, while infusing it with a spiritual context. Mediaeval thinking accepted allegory as having a reality underlying any rhetorical or fictional uses. The allegory was as true as the facts of surface appearances. Thus, the Papal Bull Unam Sanctam (1302) presents themes of the unity of Christendom with the pope as its head in which the allegorical details of the metaphors are adduced as facts on which is based a demonstration with the vocabulary of logic: "Therefore of this one and only Church there is one body and one head—not two heads as if it were a monster... If, then, the Greeks or others say that they were not committed to the care of Peter and his successors, they necessarily confess that they are not of the sheep of Christ." This text also demonstrates the frequent use of allegory in religious texts during the Mediaeval Period, following the tradition and example of the Bible. In the late 15th century, the enigmatic Hypnerotomachia, with its elaborate woodcut illustrations, shows the influence of themed pageants and masques on contemporary allegorical representation, as humanist dialectic conveyed them. The denial of medieval allegory as found in the 12th-century works of Hugh of St Victor and Edward Topsell's Historie of Foure-footed Beastes (London, 1607, 1653) and its replacement in the study of nature with methods of categorisation and mathematics by such figures as naturalist John Ray and the astronomer Galileo is thought to mark the beginnings of early modern science.[19] Modern allegory[edit] Since meaningful stories are nearly always applicable to larger issues, allegories may be read into many stories which the author may not have recognised. This is allegoresis, or the act of reading a story as an allegory. Examples of allegory in popular culture that may or may not have been intended include the works of Bertolt Brecht, and even some works of science fiction and fantasy, such as The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The story of the apple falling onto Isaac Newton's head is another famous allegory. It simplified the idea of gravity by depicting a simple way it was supposedly discovered. It also made the scientific revelation well known by condensing the theory into a short tale.[20] Poetry and fiction[edit] Detail of Laurent de La Hyre's Allegory of Arithmetic, c. 1650 While allegoresis may make discovery of allegory in any work, not every resonant work of modern fiction is allegorical, and some are clearly not intended to be viewed this way. According to Henry Littlefield's 1964 article, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, may be readily understood as a plot-driven fantasy narrative in an extended fable with talking animals and broadly sketched characters, intended to discuss the politics of the time.[21] Yet, George MacDonald emphasised in 1893 that "A fairy tale is not an allegory."[22] J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is another example of a well-known work mistakenly perceived as allegorical, as the author himself once stated, "...I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history – true or feigned – with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author."[23] Tolkien specifically resented the suggestion that the book's One Ring, which gives overwhelming power to those possessing it, was intended as an allegory of nuclear weapons. He noted that, had that been his intention, the book would not have ended with the Ring being destroyed but rather with an arms race in which various powers would try to obtain such a Ring for themselves. Then Tolkien went on to outline an alternative plot for "Lord of The Rings", as it would have been written had such an allegory been intended, and which would have made the book into a dystopia. While all this does not mean Tolkien's works may not be treated as having allegorical themes, especially when reinterpreted through postmodern sensibilities, it at least suggests that none were conscious in his writings. This further reinforces the idea of forced allegoresis, as allegory is often a matter of interpretation and only sometimes of original artistic intention. Like allegorical stories, allegorical poetry has two meanings – a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. Some unique specimens of allegory can be found in the following works: Edmund Spenser – The Faerie Queene: The several knights in the poem actually stand for several virtues.[24] William Shakespeare – The Tempest: a fight between good and evil on a deserted island John Bunyan – The Pilgrim's Progress: The journey of the protagonists Christian and Evangelist symbolises the ascension of the soul from earth to Heaven. Nathaniel Hawthorne – Young Goodman Brown: The Devil's Staff symbolises defiance of God. The characters' names, such as Goodman and Faith, ironically serve as paradox in the conclusion of the story. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Scarlet Letter: The letter represents self-reliance from America’s Puritan and conformity.[25] George Orwell – Animal Farm: The pigs stand for political figures of the Russian Revolution.[26] László Krasznahorkai - The Melancholy of Resistance and the film Werckmeister Harmonies: It uses a circus to describe an occupying dysfunctional government.[27] Edgar Allan Poe – The Masque of the Red Death: The story can be read as an allegory for humans' inability to escape death.[28] Arthur Miller – The Crucible: The Salem witch trials are thought to be an allegory for McCarthyism and the blacklisting of Communists in the United States of America.[29] Art[edit] Some elaborate and successful specimens of allegory are to be found in the following works, arranged in approximate chronological order: Ambrogio Lorenzetti – Allegoria del Buono e Cattivo Governo e loro Effetti in Città e Campagna (c. 1338–1339) Sandro Botticelli – Primavera (c. 1482) Albrecht Dürer – Melencolia I (1514) Bronzino – Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time (c. 1545) The English School's – "Allegory of Queen Elizabeth" (c. 1610) Artemisia Gentileschi – Allegory of Inclination (c. 1620), An Allegory of Peace and the Arts under the English Crown (1638); Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (c. 1638–39) The Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist by Bartholomeus Strobel is also an allegory of Europe in the time of the Thirty Years War, with portraits of many leading political and military figures. Jan Vermeer – Allegory of Painting (c. 1666) Fernand Le Quesne - Allégorie de la publicité Jean-Léon Gérôme – Truth Coming Out of Her Well (1896) Graydon Parrish – The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy (2006) Many statues of Lady Justice: "Such visual representations have raised the question why so many allegories in the history of art, pertaining occupations once reserved for men only, are of female sex."[30] Damien Hirst – Verity (2012) Gallery[edit] Allegorical Paintings of the 16th and 17th century Albrecht Dürer, Melencolia I (1514): Unused tools, an hourglass, an empty scale surround a female personification, with other esoteric and exoteric symbols. Bronzino, Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time (c. 1545): The deities of love are surrounded by personifications of (probably) Time (a bald, man with angry eyes), Folly (the young woman-demon on the right, possibly also so old woman on the left), and others. Titian, Allegory of Prudence (c. 1565–1570): The three human heads symbolise past, present and future, the characterisation of which is furthered by the triple-headed beast (wolf, lion, dog), girded by the body of a big snake. The English School's Allegory of Queen Elizabeth (c. 1610), with Father Time at her right and Death looking over her left shoulder. Two cherubs are removing the weighty crown from her tired head. Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (c. 1638–39) Jan Vermeer, The Art of Painting (c. 1666): Painting is shown as related to history and politics, the young woman being Clio, the muse of history, and other symbols for the political and religious division of the Netherlands appearing. Jan van Kessel, Allegory of Hearing (17th century): Diverse sources of sound, especially instruments serve as allegorical symbols. Flemish August Bouttats, Allegory of Triumphant Spain with immaculist banner, ca. 1682, cover of Triumphant Spain and the laureate church all over the world by the patronage of Holy Mary, Collection: Hispanic Society of America See also[edit] Allegorical interpretation of the Bible Allegorical interpretations of Plato Allegory in the Middle Ages Allegory in Renaissance literature Allegorical sculpture Cultural depictions of Philip II of Spain Diwan (poetry) Freemasonry ("a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.") Parable Semiotics Theagenes of Rhegium References[edit] ^ Stephen A. Barney (1989). "Allegory". Dictionary of the Middle Ages. vol. 1. ISBN 0-684-16760-3 ^ Wheeler, L. Kip (11 January 2018). "Literary Terms and Definitions: A". Literary Vocabulary. Carson-Newman University. Retrieved May 19, 2020. ^ ἀλληγορία, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library ^ ἄλλος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library ^ ἀγορεύω, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library ^ ἀγορά, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, in the Perseus Digital Library. ^ Frye, Northrop (2020) [1957]. "Second Essay: Ethical Criticism: Theory of Symbols". In Damrosch, David (ed.). Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton Classics. 70. Princeton, New jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 89ff. ISBN 9780691202563. Retrieved 6 September 2020. ^ [Small, S. G. P. (1949). "On Allegory in Homer". The Classical Journal 44 (7): 423.] ^ [Domaradzki, M. (2017). "The Beginnings of Greek Allegoresis". Classical World 110 (3):301] ^ [H. Diels and W. Kranz. (1951). Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, vol. 1. 6th edn. Berlin: Weidmann, 126-138.] ^ [H. Diels and W. Kranz. (1951). Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, vol. 1. 6th edn. Berlin: Weidmann, 51-52.] ^ Elliott, R. K. (1967). "Socrates and Plato's Cave". Kant-Studien. 58 (2): 138. doi:10.1515/kant.1967.58.1-4.137. ^ Martianus Capella and the Seven Liberal Arts – The Marriage of Philology and Mercury. II. Translated by Stahl, William Harris; Johnson, Richard; Burge, E.L. (Print ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. 1977. ^ Lamberton, Robert (1986). Homer the Theologian: Neoplatonist Allegorical Reading and the Growth of the Epic Tradition. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520066076. JSTOR 10.1525/j.ctt1ppp1k. ^ Calian, Florin George (2013), Dolealová, Lucie; Rider, Jeff; Zironi, Alessandro (eds.), "'Clarifications' of Obscurity: Proclus' Allegorical Reading of Plato's Parmenides", Medium Aevum Quotidianum, Krems: Institut für Realienkunde des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit, pp. 15–31, retrieved 2019-11-06 ^ Kennedy, George A. (1999). Classical Rhetoric and Its Christian and Secular Tradition from Ancient to Modern Times (2nd ed.). UNC Press. p. 142. ISBN 0-8078-4769-0. Retrieved 7 August 2009. ^ Jones, Alexander, ed. (1968). The Jerusalem Bible (Reader's ed.). Doubleday & Company. pp. 1186, 1189. ISBN 0-385-01156-3. ^ "Portrait of a Lady, Called Elizabeth, Lady Tanfield by Unknown Artist". ArtFund.org. Art Fund. ^ Harrison, Peter (2001). "Introduction". The Bible, Protestantism, and the Rise of Natural Science. Cambridge University Press. p. 1–10. ISBN 0-521-59196-1. ^ "Revised Memoir of Newton (Normalized Version)". The Newton Project. Retrieved 13 March 2017. ^ [Littlefield, Henry (1964). "The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism". American Quarterly, 16 (1): 47–58. doi:10.2307/2710826.] ^ Baum, L. Frank (2000). The Annotated Wizard of Oz: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Norton. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-393-04992-3. ^ Bogstad, Janice M.; Kaveny, Philip E. (9 August 2011). Picturing Tolkien: Essays on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy. McFarland. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-7864-8473-7. ^ "The Faerie Queene | work by Spenser". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-10-12. ^ "The Scarlet Letter | Summary, Analysis, Characters, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-10-12. ^ "'Animal Farm': Andy Serkis-directed adaptation of George Orwell's allegory acquired by Netflix – Wonderfully Curated News". Retrieved 2020-10-12. ^ Romm, Jake (2017-04-26). "Misery Loves Company". The New Inquiry. Retrieved 2020-10-12. ^ [Roppolo, Joseph Patrick. "Meaning and 'The Masque of the Red Death'", collected in Poe: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Robert Regan. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1967. p. 137] ^ Sullivan, James (October 2, 2020). "What really made Salem the Witch City - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2020-10-12. ^ Cäcilia Rentmeister: The Muses, Banned From Their Occupations: Why Are There So Many Allegories Female? English summary from Kvinnovetenskaplig Tidskrift, Nr.4. 1981, Lund, Sweden as PDF. Retrieved 10.July 2011 Original Version in German: Berufsverbot für die Musen. Warum sind so viele Allegorien weiblich? In: Ästhetik und Kommunikation, Nr. 25/1976, S. 92–112. Langfassung in: Frauen und Wissenschaft. Beiträge zur Berliner Sommeruniversität für Frauen, Juli 1976, Berlin 1977, S.258–297. With illustrations. Full Texts Online: Cäcilia (Cillie) Rentmeister: publications Further reading[edit] Frye, Northrop (1957) Anatomy of Criticism. Fletcher, Angus (1964) Allegory: The Theory of a Symbolic Mode. Foucault, Michel (1966) The Order of Things. Jain, Champat Rai (1919). The Key Of Knowledge. Internet Archive (Second ed.). Allahabad: The Central Jaina Publishing House. Retrieved 17 November 2015. External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Allegories. Wikiquote has quotations related to: Allegory Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Allegory in Literary history Electronic Antiquity, Richard Levis, "Allegory and the Eclogues" Roman definitions of allegoria and interpreting Vergil's Eclogues. v t e Narrative Character Antagonist Antihero Archenemy Character arc Character flaw Characterization Deuteragonist False protagonist Focal character Foil Gothic double Narrator Protagonist Stock character Straight man Supporting character Title character Tragic hero Tritagonist Plot Act Act structure Three-act structure Action Backstory Chekhov's gun Cliché Cliffhanger Conflict Deus ex machina Dialogue Dramatic structure Exposition/Protasis Rising action/Epitasis Climax/Peripeteia Falling action/Catastasis Denouement/Catastrophe Eucatastrophe Foreshadowing Flashback Flashforward Frame story In medias res Kishōtenketsu MacGuffin Occam's razor Pace Plot device Plot twist Poetic justice Red herring Reveal Self-fulfilling prophecy Shaggy dog story Story arc Subplot Suspense Trope Setting Alternate history Backstory Crossover Dreamworld Dystopia Fictional location city country universe Utopia Theme Irony Leitmotif Metaphor Moral Motif Style Allegory Bathos Diction Figure of speech Imagery Narrative techniques Mode Mood Narration Stylistic device Suspension of disbelief Symbolism Tone Structure Linear narrative Nonlinear narrative films television series Types of fiction with multiple endings Form Cantastoria Comics Epic Fable Fabliau Fairy tale Flash fiction Folktale Kamishibai Gamebook Legend Novel Novella Parable Play Poem Screenplay Short story Vignette (literature) Genre Action fiction Adventure Comic Crime Docufiction Epistolary Erotic Fantasy Fiction Gothic Historical Horror List of writing genres Magic realism Mystery Nautical Non-Fiction Paranoid Philosophical Picaresque Political Pop culture Psychological Religious Rogue Romance Saga Satire Science Speculative Superhero Theological Thriller Urban Western Narration First-person Multiple narrators Stream of consciousness Stream of unconsciousness Unreliable Diegesis Self-insertion Tense Past Present Future Related Audience Author Creative nonfiction Fiction writing Literary science Literary theory Narratology Political narrative Rhetoric Screenwriting Storytelling Tellability Authority control GND: 4001236-0 NDL: 00560317 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Allegory&oldid=999144245" Categories: Allegory Rhetorical techniques Narrative techniques Poetic devices Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Commons category link is on Wikidata Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with NDL identifiers Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Languages Afrikaans العربية Արեւմտահայերէն Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Bân-lâm-gú Беларуская Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎ Български Boarisch Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Frysk Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Kurdî Кыргызча Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Limburgs Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Nederlands 日本語 Norsk bokmål Norsk nynorsk Occitan Oʻzbekcha/ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Română Русский Саха тыла Seeltersk Shqip Simple English سنڌي Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 吴语 ייִדיש 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 8 January 2021, at 18:22 (UTC). 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