What is allegory and why is it used by writers? How many different artistic means exist, with the help of which the author manages to embellish his work, make it brighter and more interesting? Everyone has heard about hyperbole, metaphor, comparison, epithet and other artistic means of expression.
Allegory: definition
According to the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary, allegory is a means of expression with a hidden meaning. In a strict sense, this is the same as an allegory, when one phenomenon is depicted with the help of another phenomenon, object or being.
But what is allegory in the broadest sense? We can say that this is a statement that does not lie on the surface. And to understand the author, you need to think a little. Perhaps you should read it several times and then you will be able to unravel what this information was used for. artistic medium.
Types of allegory
As mentioned earlier, allegory - Or, conversely, allegory is a subspecies of this means of expression. Most often this species used to depict any ideas in the form of a certain image in mythology and fairy tales. For example, depicting a lion, the author implies strength and dexterity, while depicting a hare, he shows cowardice. So, the images of animals, through allegory, indicate one or another trait that is also characteristic of a person.
What is an allegory in the form of personification? This is the endowment of an inanimate being or object human qualities. Both nouns and verbs can be used here. For example, in fairy tales and poems one can often find such phrases and words as "the sun has played", "the sorceress-winter has come" and "the queen-night".
Allegory: examples from literature
The works often use various techniques, including allegory. It can be either individual words or phrases, or whole works in the form of fables, fairy tales and even stories. Such artistic means can be found in the works of V.M. Garshin, the novels of Anatole France or
In the fables of I.A. Krylova are present in abundance of allegory. In these works, the author often compares a person with some animal. Saltykov-Shchedrin also resorted to this expressive means and used it in his fairy tales.
So what is allegory and why is it so often used by poets and writers? This artistic medium is considered one of the main ones in literary criticism. The allegory is used by the authors to reveal the abstract concept of good and evil, intelligence and stupidity, generosity and greed.
Allegory is one of artistic techniques, which is widespread in literary creativity. In the literal sense, this word means the expression of an idea or concept through a certain artistic image, monologue, dialogue.
In other words, real phenomenon or an event is described with the help of an abstract concept in such a way as to emphasize its features even more expressively. This technique is used not only in literature, but also in painting, performing arts and film genre.
It is worth noting that an allegorical image, which is based on the similarity of life events and phenomena, can take a significant, and sometimes central in literary or theatrical work.
The described or depicted object is not called directly, but is characterized with the help of another object. In other words, allegory is a detailed likening of one object or phenomenon to another through a whole system of hints. However, the meaning is not only not lost, but also becomes more obvious, vivid and extremely understandable.
Most allegorical images reflect such concepts as good and evil, justice and inequality, love and hatred. Many moral values it is much easier to describe it in allegorical language than to speak directly, calling a spade a spade.
The beauty and grandeur of literary images
Allegory has much in common with symbolism, but the concept itself is much broader. Symbolic images reflect life nature and inspired by song traditions. Images-symbols evoke emotional analogies with human life. Allegory, on the other hand, is distinguished by bias and deliberateness, when in the described object or life phenomenon the reader immediately draws the necessary parallel with a real object or phenomenon.
Most a prime example allegorical are Krylov's fables, where human vices are clearly shown with the help of animal characters:
- fox - cunning;
- donkey - stubborn;
- wolf - evil;
- bear - stupidly imposing;
- ram - stupid;
- hare is cowardly.
Legendary ancient Greek poet Aesop, who also wrote fables, pursued the goal of affirming public morality. The use of allegory helped him to ridicule the bad qualities of people, putting them on display and showing all the squalor of bad traits and inclinations.
There is even the term "Aesopian language", meaning a kind of literary cryptography, deliberately masking the author's thought. This is a kind of "system of deceptive means" that the slave Aesop was forced to use, because he could not directly expose his masters.
Literature and censorship: tricks of Russian classics
Russian writers used allegory to circumvent censorship. Especially often you can find such a device in the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin, who interacted with his reader, hiding the true meaning from the censors. Story " wise gudgeon"It is very rich from the artistic side - it traces not only the desire to deceive censorship, but also to reveal the essence of some life phenomena.
Drawing the image of a “small fish”, pathetic and cowardly, the writer perfectly reflected the essence of a different layman. A well-aimed characterization hits right on target, illustrating the breed of a petty and worthless citizen through a minnow.
Giving fish human qualities, Saltykov-Shchedrin in his work touches philosophical problem search for the meaning of life and the purpose of man.
Another example of allegory is the poem " Dead Souls", where hidden meaning incorporated even in the names of the characters - Sobakevich, Plyushkin. In this work there is a whole illusory world, showing the whole of Russia in the context, along with its vices and shortcomings.
Way of life of the time in which Gogol lived is described very figuratively - what is the only allegorical world of the peasants who died or fled from their masters worth! This world, as it were, is opposed to the world of the living, thereby emphasizing the poverty of the morals of the main characters.
AT foreign literature There are also many works that use allegory. For example, Dante depicted in his " Divine Comedy» human passions in the form of animals:
- panther - sensuality;
- lion - pride and ambition;
- wolf - greed.
Medieval Oriental poetry is also full of allegories - Alisher Navoi in "Seven Planets" talks about love and at the same time denounces the then rulers in an allegorical form. Sultan Hussein-Merzy and his courtiers are subjected to veiled criticism - the author exposes allegorical literary means tyranny, covetousness, ignorance and cruelty.
In this way , allegory is a way to give brightness to a work, originality, expressiveness and originality. Through a hidden hint, you can express the idea more vividly, and the image - more colorful, which is not always possible when using ordinary narration.
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- ALLEGORY in the Literary Encyclopedia:
sometimes used in Russian poetics, the translation of the term "allegory" (see) ... - ALLEGORY in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
an expression that contains a hidden meaning; used as a literary device (Pugachev's conversation with the owner of the inn in " Captain's daughter" BUT. … - ALLEGORY in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
in strict meaning- same as allegory; in broad use - a hidden form of expression, a statement where "letter" and ... - ALLEGORY in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
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, -i, cf. An expression containing a different, hidden meaning, an allegory. Talk … - ALLEGORY in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
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allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, allegory, ... - ALLEGORY in the Popular Explanatory-Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Russian Language:
-I'm with. 1) Allegory. Natural poetry resorts to allegory (Belinsky). 2) An expression that contains a hidden meaning, ... - ALLEGORY in the Dictionary of synonyms of Abramov:
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allegory, parabola, ... - ALLEGORY in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
cf. 1) A statement, an expression containing a hidden meaning, a hint. 2) The expression of an abstract concept through an artistic image as a literary device; … - ALLEGORY in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Lopatin:
allegory, ... - ALLEGORY in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
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allegory, ... - ALLEGORY in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Ozhegov:
an expression containing a different, hidden meaning, an allegory To speak ... - ALLEGORY in the Modern Explanatory Dictionary, TSB:
an expression that contains a hidden meaning; used as a literary device (Pugachev's conversation with the owner of the inn in A. ... - ALLEGORY in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language Ushakov:
allegory, cf. (book). Same as allegory (lit.). || An expression that contains a hidden meaning, a hidden allusion. He loves to talk... - ALLEGORY in the Explanatory Dictionary of Efremova:
allegory cf. 1) A statement, an expression containing a hidden meaning, a hint. 2) The expression of an abstract concept through an artistic image as a literary device; … - ALLEGORY in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language Efremova:
- ALLEGORY in the Big Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
cf. 1. A statement, an expression containing a hidden meaning, a hint. 2. Expression of an abstract concept through an artistic image as a literary device; … - SYMBOL in the Dictionary of Analytical Psychology:
(Symbol) - the best possible expression or representation of something unknown. The concept of a symbol should be distinguished from the concept of a sign. “Every mental product, since ... - ALLEGORY in the Newest Philosophical Dictionary:
(Greek allegoria - allegory) - one of the ways of aesthetic exploration of reality, the reception of the image of objects and phenomena through an image, the basis of which ... - LAMB in the Dictionary-Index of Names and Concepts on Old Russian Art:
(lat. lamb) 1. A one-year-old male lamb without any blemish, which the Israelites were ordered to eat with special rites when performing ... - ALLEGORY in the Dictionary of Fine Art Terms:
- (from the Greek allegoria - allegory) in art, the embodiment of a phenomenon, as well as speculative ideas in a visual image (for example, a woman with ... - SYMBOLISM in the Dictionary Index of Theosophical Concepts to the Secret Doctrine, Theosophical Dictionary:
- A figurative expression of an idea or thought. The original letter did not have letters at first, usually a symbol expressed a whole phrase or sentence. Symbol, …
Definition
Allegory, according to the Bolshoi Encyclopedic Dictionary, is a literary device, an expression with a hidden meaning. In the strict sense, allegory is a synonym. In a more extended interpretation, this is a statement in which "letter" and "spirit" do not coincide, they can even be opposite. That is why in containing allegories, the meaning does not always “lie in the palm of your hand” - you need to see it, you need to correctly understand the idea that you wanted to convey to the reader. The same BES refers irony and Aesopian language to allegories. On the other hand, feelings or other concepts that do not have a visible form, thanks to the use of allegory, become accessible, recognizable. Embodied in images, they help to express an abstract concept as accurately as possible.
Types of allegory
1. Personification (otherwise - personification) - endowing the features of a living being with inanimate objects: “revitalization” (“queen-night”, “sorceress-winter”) or use, applied to living beings, in figurative meaning towards inanimate objects(began to play, birches whisper).
2. Indirect satire - works that show, ridicule, condemn the shortcomings of their time under the guise of transference of actions (, the future tense or fictional worlds and faces. This may include, for example, "The Wise Gudgeon").
3. - the image of ideas, concepts in a certain image, the connection with which is established by analogy through certain ones. Under many allegorical expressions, a mythological or folklore base has been summed up. Examples of allegories: the lion is a sign of strength, the hare is cowardice, justice is Themis with a sword and scales.
4. Euphemism - or expressions that replace words that are synonymous in meaning. Euphemism is characterized by softness, collectiveness. They are used in situations where other designations are undesirable (impolite, too harsh). Examples: face gay- gay, African American - Negro and others.
Application
Allegory is used very often in prose to give images brightness, color, as a way to avoid platitudes. However, trying to make your work memorable through the use of this technique, novice authors run the risk of encountering the opposite effect, since many of the most commonly used personifications, allegories, have themselves become beaten. At the other end of the extreme - abundance and interweaving various kinds allegory, making the work extremely difficult to read and understand. It is important to find golden mean”, which in most cases is achieved through training and increasing creative experience.
Allegory
Allegory
ALLEGORY - the translation of the term "allegory" sometimes used in Russian poetics (see).
Literary Encyclopedia. - In 11 tons; M.: publishing house of the Communist Academy, Soviet Encyclopedia, Fiction. Edited by V. M. Friche, A. V. Lunacharsky. 1929-1939 .
Allegory
The use of words not in their meaning, used in literature to influence the reader. There are several types of allegory - irony(comic use of words in the opposite sense, for example, by I.A. Krylova – « clever mind"in relation to the donkey), Aesopian language(transmission of the content that the author wants to convey through the images of animals - "Tales" by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin), allegory(transmission of an abstract thought through specific images, eg. the use of images of ancient gods in solemn odes 18th century - Mars as an allegory of war, Venus as an allegory of love), symbol(an image that conveys both concrete and abstract content at the same time - for example, a dog as a symbol of the old world in A. A. Blok"Twelve"). Allegory is used for various purposes: irony creates comic effect; Aesopian language is necessary in connection with political conditions, the inability to directly say what is needed; allegory refers to the general cultural context; the symbol shows the multifaceted connection between objects.
Literature and language. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Under the editorship of prof. Gorkina A.P. 2006 .
Synonyms:
See what "Allegory" is in other dictionaries:
Allegory ... Spelling Dictionary
See example... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and similar expressions. under. ed. N. Abramova, M.: Russian dictionaries, 1999. allegory hint, example; Aesopian language, parabola, Aesopian language, parable, allegory Dictionary of Russian ... Synonym dictionary
An expression that contains a hidden meaning; used as a literary device (Pugachev's conversation with the owner of the inn in the Captain's daughter of A. S. Pushkin). See also Allegory, Aesopian language, Irony ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
allegory, allegory, cf. (book). Same as allegory (lit.). || An expression that contains a hidden meaning, a hidden allusion. He loves to speak in parables. Dictionary Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
ALLOY, I, cf. An expression containing a different, hidden meaning, an allegory. Speak in allusions. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov
Allegory is an expression that contains a hidden meaning; used as literary device. In a broad sense, allegory is understood as a fundamental feature of art and, in particular, artistic speech, thanks to which, ... ... Wikipedia
I; cf. An expression containing a hidden secret meaning; allegory. Speak in allusions. His speech is full of allegory. * * * allegory an expression containing a hidden meaning; used as a literary device (for example, a conversation ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
allegory- ▲ statement expressed, through, similar allegory statement containing a hidden meaning. allegorical. allegory. allegorical. allegorical. figurative. figurative. fable. apologist. Aesopian [Aesopian] language. ↓ … Ideographic Dictionary of the Russian Language
allegory- I'm with. 1) Allegory. Natural poetry resorts to allegory (Belinsky). 2) An expression that contains a hidden meaning, a hidden hint. Speak in allusions. The allegory was so transparent that no explanation was required (Sholokhov). … … Popular dictionary of the Russian language
In the strict sense the same as Allegory; in broad usage, a hidden form of expression, a statement where "letter" and "spirit" do not coincide or are opposite, for example, Irony, Aesopian language ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Books
- Saying and allegory. Jungian Analysis of Fairy Tales, Hans Dieckmann. In his book, the famous Jungian analyst Hans Dieckmann shows a deep connection between a child's favorite fairy tale and his later destiny; fabulous motifs are decisive for...
