When the author writes literary work, paints a picture or creates another work of art, he aims to convey as accurately as possible the character of the characters, their inner world and relationships. Poetry, painting, sculpture is not just a collection of words and information. If you use only clear definitions in poetry, they are unlikely to hook the reader with something. Therefore, there are so many means in Russian artistic expression. One of them is allegory. What is an allegory can be understood with specific examples.
How is it used in different art forms?
An allegory, if you try to formulate a definition, can be called certain remedy, designed to call something abstract a specific concept or subject.
Allegory is used as a means of expression in many forms of art:
- In painting, in the Renaissance, very often in paintings, artists, drawing various objects, invested in paintings deep meaning. These were not just compositions of incomprehensible elements, it was the call of the artist, his view of the world. However, not all viewers could unravel the meaning, but only those who were familiar with the concepts of allegory;
- In sculpture. The streets of cities, especially those that are cultural centers, often decorate monuments, sculptures and statues. But in each monument a certain idea is expressed;
- In literature. Very often, poets disguise feelings, intangible concepts under animals, plants, objects, giving the verse unique style and thus allowing free rein for the reader's imagination.
In sculpture and painting
As an example of allegory in painting, one can cite the painting “Liberty Leading the People” by Eugene Delacroix, french artist. In the picture, freedom, which is an intangible, abstract concept, is depicted as a woman with a red flag, who towers over other people. The weapon in her hand symbolizes strength, and the turned head is a call to action.
An allegory in sculpture is a striking example of the "Motherland", which personifies the victory over the Nazis, and says that Volgograd, as if with a sword, hit the enemy. A " Bronze Horseman” in St. Petersburg emphasizes the greatness of Peter I, every detail has its own hidden meaning: a block in the form of a wave is the element, and the horse is overcoming obstacles.
What is allegory in literature?
If open Dictionary, then you can find the following definition of allegory - this is extended metaphor, allegory, a trope that enhances the expressiveness of a work by presenting an abstract concept concrete way or expression.
That is, it's like artistic synonym. For example, in Krylov's fables, all the characters are animals, but each animal is an enhanced expression of human vices or vice versa virtues. The fox is cunning, the crow is stupidity, and the oak is wisdom.
If the author presented the same traits of human characters, but in a different way, for example, he would describe simply cunning, simply stupid, or simply wise man, it would hardly be possible for the reader to convey the truths of life in such an ironic, easy and simple form.
What is the difference between metaphor and allegory?
Allegory can be confused with metaphor, because both concepts denote expressing something through something .
But an allegory is a more extended metaphor:
- Metaphor is a more concrete, narrow expression, an allegory is wider, it is the whole picture allegories;
- Metaphor - figurative meaning on the basis of similarity, the allegory uses associations more. For example, the expression “cunning like a fox” would be a metaphor, but if you call someone a “fox” it will already be an allegory;
- A metaphor most often expresses an animated concept, and an abstract allegory. That is, about a person, you can say “proud like a lion” and this will be a metaphor, but the image of a lion means strength, power and pride - this is an example of an allegory.
What is an allegory: examples
Allegory is very often used in literature. A vivid image of allegories is fables, in which each character is an incarnation.
Poetry also uses this means of expressing thoughts. Allegories are not easy to understand.
For example, in the lines of Marina Tsvetaeva "Poems grow like stars and like roses":
- Stone slabs are creative lull when the poet has neither ideas nor inspiration;
- A heavenly guest is a sudden insight, a muse, with four petals, meaning a flower, which in turn will personify something beautiful;
- The law of the star is a certain vision of the world, its undercurrents;
- The flower formula - says that only a poet knows how to convey all the truths in a word.
In the lines " Winter night»Boris Pasternak, there are also allegorical expressions:
- Blizzard and winter mean hardships that have come everywhere,
- Candle - unquenchable hope;
- “On the illuminated ceiling” - the illuminated ceiling symbolizes the fact that, despite difficulties, hope can illuminate everything around;
- "Crossing of arms, crossing of legs" - passion and love;
- “It was snowy all month in February, and every now and then the candle burned on the table, the candle warmed” - here, in the last lines, it seems to say how persistent the small candle turned out to be, which, despite the month of adversity, burned.
Application in religion
Any religion is designed to change a person in better side. Parables and commandments teach people love, mercy, justice and humility. For example, in Christian religion in each parable, all characters, objects and actions are allegorical.
The parable of the talents: it tells how the master, leaving for another country, gave his slaves talents: five to one, three to the third, one to the third. When he returned, he saw that the one who had five talents multiplied them and received only ten, the one who had three did the same, and the slave who had one talent buried it in the ground.
- The owner is God, talents are all that we have been awarded from birth: abilities, opportunities and health.
- A slave who has buried talent in the ground is a lazy person who does not want to develop and improve.
Almost every parable is built on allegories in order to more easily convey the truth to people.
Art serves to lead a person to perfection, otherwise it is not art, but simple catering. In order to better convey to a person this or that understanding of the world, it is necessary to create vivid images and enhance contrasts.
Therefore, art cannot be dry, monotonous and open to understanding. For this, there are various means of expression. Any true master knows not only what an allegory, metaphor, epithet, symbol is, but also knows how to correctly apply all this in his creations.
Video: examples of allegories and metaphors in creativity
In this video, literature teacher Elena Krasnova will tell you what allegory is and how it is used in art, she will give the most striking examples:
We often use words and expressions that allegorically point to some concepts or phenomena without naming them. For example, when we say "crow in peacock feathers", we mean a person who is trying to appear more important and significant than he really is. We call the “first sign” signs of the approach of something new, joyful, a change for the better. Such a technique of figurative speech in literature and in art is an allegory, examples of which are given above.
Origins of this definition
Allegory comes from Greek words: allos - different and agoreuo - I say. abstract concepts, which cannot be conveyed briefly, are depicted in the form bright image, whose name is an allegory. Examples of such images, understandable to all people regardless of their nationality: the image of a woman with and with scales in her hand - well-known symbol justice; a snake wrapped around a bowl is a symbol of medicine. Allegory as came to art from folklore. Most biblical images are also allegorical. Examples of allegory in the Bible: Judas personifies lies and betrayal, and the Mother of God - moral purity and innocence.
Where can you find allegory
In fiction, allegorical images are most often used in fables and parables. The ancient Greek fabulist Aesop resorted to an allegorical form of expressing his thoughts, since he could not express them directly. Under the guise of animals, he ridiculed human stupidity, greed, hypocrisy. Later, the allegorical manner of presenting thoughts began to be called In Russian literature, in the fables of I. A. Krylov, allegory is widely used. Examples of this are the images of animals that are characters in Krylov's fables. They mean some specific human trait character. A pig is an allegory of ignorance, a fox is cunning, deceit, flattery at the same time, a donkey is stupidity.
Relationship Comparisons
Sometimes allegorical image expresses a certain attitude towards the concept that it depicts. For example, Ilf and Petrov use an image that represents wealth and money. Emphasizing their ironic attitude to this image, they turned the calf into a calf. And the well-known allegory has already taken on a slightly different meaning - an example of a senseless pursuit of wealth. This theme can be easily traced in many classical and modern literary plays.
Allegory. Examples in proper names
The method of allegory is used by writers in the names of characters. Griboedov has Molchalin and Skalozub, Gogol has Sobakevich, Plyushkin, Lyapkin-Tyapkin, Fonvizin has Pravdin, Starodum, Prostakov. These "talking" surnames are also an example of an allegory. Fiction, like music, sculpture, painting, depicts life through artistic images which carry the feelings of the creator, the understanding of this or that phenomenon through personal experience, outlook. In order to be deeper, in order to most accurately convey their experiences, writers use all the richness and variety of language, including allegory.
In translation, allegory means “otherwise I say”, allegory, that is, with the help of such hidden statements, you can express your opinion without violating ethics. Most often, such "statements" are found in painting, theatrical art, literature and sculpture. This is how it can often be shown not directly at the shortcomings, but with a kind of subtext, transferring the meaning of one word to another.
Both metaphor and allegory, in fact, mean the same thing, they are used to express not literally, but in a different sense. The only difference is that metaphor is used only in literature, and allegory in other arts, and it is also much richer in different images and definitions. Both one and the other meaning draws parallels in the human mind.
By by and large metaphor can be understood as a comparison, but an allegory can take the form complete work. Such a comparison provokes the human brain to work in the direction set by the author. For example, a phrase like " iron character Literally, you need to understand as willpower and stamina. The character of the British can be attributed precisely to this understanding, if we remember Margaret Thatcher. The metaphor in this phrase is the word "iron", it is it that means strength of mind, fortress. The phrase "autumn has come" can be interpreted as the approach of old age. But if the text contains more than one metaphor, but several, then they may well form an allegorical device. By the way, very often the authors resort to this method.
A typical example of the use of allegories is fables. The most famous in our country are the fables of Ivan Krylov. In each of them, animals are shown as the main character or heroes, but we immediately understand who and what the author wanted to tell us about.
For example:
- the bear is good nature, strength and limitation;
- the fox is associated with cunning, arrogance and flattery;
- stubbornness, stupidity and stupidity are shown by the donkey;
- a pig or a monkey shows us ignorance.
In the fables of I. Krylov, one can most often observe a donkey, since it is more endowed with human vices - stupid, stubborn, stupid. But not always one animal contains several allegories. For example, a bee is diligence. The author also associates with animals representatives of people of different social groups. So, the old Lion in the fable "Education of a Lion" identifies the image of the king. It is his upbringing that he trusts to a stranger, since he himself cannot teach him to manage his own state, he does not know how to essentially lead himself. As a result, a ruler completely alien to the people grows out of the Lion cub. Moreover, the image of the Lion cub can be clearly traced to Alexander I.
Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin also wrote fables in which he revealed the essence of man. For example, in The Wise Minnow, he describes a liberal using a small fish, a baker, as an allegory. Some people, like this little fish, don't care about anything but own life. They also cut themselves off from society, depriving themselves of all the joys of life, and in the end they do not benefit anyone. This weak person refusing to fight for his life, right. Saltykov-Shchedrin shows us that such people cannot be called citizens, since they are just small, cowardly and useless fish. He believes that such people are sitting in their positions in vain, and also includes passive, indifferent people who do not benefit society at all.
This video provides examples of the allegory.
But not only animals show the essence of time, sometimes the authors choose a person as the main character. Having created specific situation they denounce human vices. Does such a comparison in the literature help the reader?
Saltykov-Shchedrin is known for his ardent statements in favor of the abolition of serfdom, and therefore ridiculed the masters who were directly dependent on "dirty and uneducated" peasants. Their helplessness is also shown in the fairy tale "How one man fed two generals." They completely forgot how to do something on their own, only the ability to "play pulka, eat and scold men" remained.
Many Russian poets use tropes, allegories, metaphors and other means to convey feelings, artistic depiction and style of a work. In the fable "Dragonfly and Ant" one can clearly see not the actions of insects as such, but of people. Some do nothing, relying on others. And others are working tirelessly in order to secure a decent future for themselves. Therefore, this is a great way to show lazy, unthinking people. Often, with the help of allegorical statements, the authors reveal a deeper philosophy, which sometimes cannot be expressed in plain text. This kind of allegory greatly enriches and saturates our speech.
Of course, allegory is most often used in fairy tales and fables. But sometimes even quite serious works contain a certain hidden meaning which not every reader can grasp. For example, N.V. Gogol shows us Sobakevich, Lyapkin-Tyapkini or Plyushkin in just such an image. D. Fonvizin talks about Prostakov, Pravdin, Starodum. It is no coincidence that each hero is endowed with his last name. It is also a way of hidden allegory that we must understand.
Fiction, just like painting, music or sculpture, reflects life with the help of certain images that the author of the work is trying to convey to us. Thanks to the huge variety of language, ways of speech (metaphors, hyperbole, personification, irony), we can read, see and hear those hidden notes that the author is trying to convey, as well as understand the full depth of feelings and experiences.
Moreover, allegories are found even in religion. As a rule, all parables are written in such a way that a person understands what exactly they are trying to convey.
In this video, as part of one morning program, the presenters talk about what an allegory is. Be sure to leave your questions, wishes and
The beautiful word "allegory", its meaning is not clear to everyone. An experiment was made on one of the television channels. While on the street, the correspondent asked random passers-by questions: “Do you know what an allegory is in literature?” To his surprise (and our surprise), of the many people we interviewed, only one answered correctly. In fact, he didn't even exact definition, and even "accidentally" for himself said the right word - "allegory". Wikipedia can quickly help those who wish to determine the "allegory".
What is an allegory
In fact, there are several formulations, explanations of the meaning of the allegory. But there is an idea that unites them into a single whole. Each definition speaks of allegory as a speech technique capable of expressing something (a phenomenon, an object, a living being) through other phenomena, objects, creatures or images. In another way, this allegorical way of designating an object, a means of a certain "masking", non-straightness of thought. Allegory is one of the tropes in literature and art. Linguists call tropes a word or a combination of words that enhance the expressiveness of speech, create new look.
The question arises: why and who needs to replace one with the other and express allegorically? We will try to find answers to this question in this article.
Wonders of disguise
The most striking example of the allegorical nature of the narrative is such a phenomenon in literature as. Aesop was a slave, but not simple, but observant and talented. He wanted to describe and ridicule the shortcomings and vices of his masters, but to do so openly was tantamount to suicide. He found a way to do this by inventing his own method (language), consisting entirely of allegories, allusions and secret symbols. This was an ingenious "disguise" in literature.
Thus, he portrayed his masters in the form of animals, endowing them with the corresponding features, characters, habits. Aesop is just applied the method of allegories in art, and other lexical forms in their stories. After him, it was customary to call the allegorical style of narration "Aesopian language".
Aesop's tradition
The use of allegories is firmly established in literary creativity: in prose and poetry. Many of Aesop's followers created their own works of art according to this principle. The allegory was especially in poetry and fabulists. One of the main elements of allegory is among satirists, as it allows you to create an unimaginable number of images and associative links. Let us give examples of allegory in the literature of authors who used Aesop's language.
Don't Miss: The Interpretation of Such literary device like , examples of exaggeration.
Allegory in literature
It is necessary to talk more about allegories in the literature. in fables, satirical stories the allegories are rather simplified, reduced to a simplified perception. Due to this, the censorship often perceived these works as fabulous or fantasy. The images of animals in Krylov's fables are people who live and do certain things, and at the end are subjected to moralization - some kind of correct conclusion.
Many quotations from fables became " popular expressions» . This means that they were taken out of the context of the entire work and used in speech as a single semantic block. For example, “and things are still there ...” means that the matter has not been done, although there have been attempts. It is interesting that even those who have not read the fable at all quote them.
The Russian classic Chernyshevsky wrote his novel What Is to Be Done while in prison. And he needed disguise the author's idea so that the book would come out of prison and see the light. At its core, the classic wrote a manual in art - instructions for building a communist society, a revolutionary novel. Allegorical in it were the images of heroes: Rakhmetov is a revolutionary. The activities of the heroes: the workshop created by Verochka Lopukhina was the prototype of the commune.
Once again about Saltykov-Shchedrin, the allegories in his works were monumental, being, in their essence, global ciphers social reality and even morality and ethics. What is worth the mere dialogue of a pig with the truth! The pig asks the truth about various things, lying in a dirty slush. She wonders if there really are any suns? And why has she, the pig, never seen these suns? The truth answers, they say, they didn’t see it because they never raised their heads ...
The art of allegory is multifaceted. The classics of literature created epic, monumental, historically accurate allegories. Russian fairy tales are simpler in this sense.
Allegories in fairy tales and folk epic
Short definition allegories in fairy tales: the word is its veiled meaning (the subject is its fabulous properties). In fairy tales, animals work well as heroes.
- The fox is cunning, the wolf is malice, the bear is innocence and strength, the hare is cowardice, the donkey is stupidity and stubbornness. So, they behave in fairy tales! And so the metaphors “cunning fox”, “donkey stubbornness”, “clicking teeth” (from hunger) went into the world of people.
- Images of nature mean phenomena from life. For example, the approach of a storm in M. Gorky's "Petrel" means the imminent onset of the revolution. And the "stupid penguin" hiding a fat body in a cliff - the cowardly masses of the people who do not want to create revolutionary changes, are afraid of them.
- Seasons, days have become a familiar allegory in art for periods of human and human life. Let us give such examples: “at the sunset of days”, “autumn is the evening of life”, “dawn of youth”, and so on.
Allegories in life
In many spheres and areas of art and life, we dealing with allegories. For example, symbols are often encrypted in sculpture or historical values. Examples:
In general, any art is largely allegorical. Such is its peculiarity - to use allegory and symbolism to enhance the effect, emotionality, general aesthetic perception and the fundamental nature of creation!
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In the article we will consider the essence and examples of such a literary device as an allegory.
The concept of allegory
Many often face the question: allegory - what is it? The meaning of the word allegory must be sought from the Greeks, translated from their language allegory means "allegory". If we define this concept, then allegory is artistic technique, the essence of which is to express an abstract concept through a concrete, obvious image.
Perhaps the most common example of an allegory is image of death in the form of a skull and bones, or a figure in a black robe with a scythe. The images of allegory were widely used since the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by artists on their canvases until the 9th century. In modern art, interesting allegories are used much more skillfully for a more subtle, invisible expression of the meaning of the work, allowing the viewer to catch the hidden hint of the author himself. This is the role of allegory.
Examples
It cannot be said that allegory can be found exclusively in literary speech. We ourselves, often without noticing it, Everyday life We use descriptive expressions. Eg, "first swallow"- sign of approach good change, a new and long-awaited event. Or "in borrowed plumes"- a person who tries to show himself important, irreplaceable, significant, although he himself is not.
Everyone knows that the image of a snake wrapping around a bowl is a symbol of medicine, and girl Themis with a blindfold, holding scales in her hands represents justice. The image of the heart means love, the cross - faith. All this is an allegory.
What is an allegory in literature
Allegory has been found in literature since antiquity. A prime example serve as Homer's poems "Odyssey" and "Iliad", where the allegorical image of Odysseus is identified with the inquisitive, inexhaustible thought of man, and his wife Penelope, as a touching and indisputable image of love, fidelity and female devotion.
In the works of the ancient Greek fabulist Aesop, an allegory is used: describing animals, the author ridiculed, flaunted human greed, pretense and stupidity. Later, his style of allegorical presentation will be called the Aesopian language.
In addition, there is an allegory in the literature of the Middle Ages, in the texts scriptures, religious hymns, parables, writings of the Fathers of the Church, many images are allegorical. A lot of allegories came to us from the Bible: Judas symbolizes betrayal, and the Mother of God - sinlessness, moral purity, impeccable morality and integrity.
Many allegorical examples can be found in the works of Verhaarn, Ibsen, Frans, in the brilliant work of Dante " human comedy", in Shakespeare's sonnets, Shelley's poems. It is worth considering the fact that in the works of the IX-XX centuries. the period of rationalistic philosophical traditions, allegory was practically not used at all.
By the way, Russian authors could not do without allegories. Ballads of Zhukovsky, satire of Saltykov-Shchedrin, works of Ilf and Petrov, Chekhov, Mayakovsky's poems, Krylov's fables - inexhaustible source witty and subtle allegory.
Allegory in Krylov's fables
Often, speaking of allegory, we are interested in the most vivid, memorable examples from fiction. And Krylov's allegory is a clear confirmation of this.
Each of his fables is a small funny story, where the main characters are exclusively the inhabitants of the forest, reveals to the reader in a comic form a certain norm of behavior or an act, often not the most exemplary one.
In each of the characters of the forest heroes, we recognize something similar, close among our surroundings. Describing his characters, Krylov affects more human vices and dignity than the character of the animal. The author's allegory of the fable is as follows: the Fox symbolizes cunning, trickery, lies, arrogance, servility and fawning for its own benefit. The donkey is an image of stubbornness, stupidity, illiteracy and ignorance. The rooster appears to us as a model of arrogance, pride and narcissism. The bear personifies strength, power, kindness, and sometimes narrowness, sluggishness. Dragonfly - carelessness, and the hare - cowardice and boasting.
Krylov's works are many-sided. In some, the author ridicules the characters, and in others - the relationship between people, the foundations of life, social order. The allegory of the fable "The Wolf and the Lamb" perfectly reflects the relationship between the authorities and the people, between the all-possessing, the all-powerful and the subordinate, the strong and the weak. And as often happens in life, the strong one tries to prove his authority, mocking, bossing over the weak.
And Krylov has fables in which ours are reflected historical events. So, for example, in the fable "The Wolf in the Kennel" events are narrated in the years Patriotic War 1812 when french emperor tried to hold peace talks with Russia. Krylov portrayed Napoleon as a wolf, and commander Kutuzov as an experienced hunter. When the Wolf enters the kennel (on the territory of Russia), he himself is not happy, this can be understood from the lines: “In a minute the kennel became hell.” Trying to avoid his bitter fate, he negotiates with cunning, but the smart hunter does not give in.
What is the difference between allegory and metaphor
The question often arises: what is the difference between metaphor and allegory? How and when is an allegory or metaphor used correctly? Let's figure it out.
