Literary Terms
Allegory, allusion, ambiguity, and anachronism
Allegory
a story in which the narrative or
characters carry an underlying
symbolic, metaphorical, or possibly an
ethical meaning
EXAMPLES
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Allusion
A casual reference in literature to a person,
place, event, or another passage of
literature, often without explicit
identification
EXAMPLE:
Allusions can originate in mythology,
biblical references, historical events,
legends, geography, or earlier literary
works.
A Raisin in the
Sun alludes to
“Dream
Deferred” by
Langston
Hughes
Ambiguity
a vagueness of meaning/ a conscious lack
of clarity meant to evoke multiple
meanings and interpretation
In common conversation, ambiguity is a
negative term applied to a vague or
equivocal expression when precision
would be more useful. Sometimes,
however, intentional ambiguity in
literature can be a powerful device,
leaving something undetermined in order
to open up multiple possible meanings.
Ambiguity
We are taught when we learn to write prose that what is demanded is clear,
sharp denotative language: words that mean one thing and one thing only.
We therefore dread the words "ambiguity" and "ambiguous" in the margins
of our papers. In poetry, however, we use the term critically to indicate
language that admits more than one meaning and enriches the texture of a
poem. The simplest kind of ambiguity is the pun, which intentionally uses
one word to mean two different things, usually with a comic effect. For
instance, when Mercutio lies dying in Romeo and Juliet he says, "Ask for me
tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man," with two meanings attached
to the word "grave." Another example of this simple use of ambiguity is the
double entendre, which usually adds spice with a second meaning that is
sexual or risqué.
Ambiguity
Read the following excerpt from The Catcher in the Rye by J. D.
Salinger:
“I ran all the way to the main gate, and then I waited a second till I got
my breath. I have no wind, if you want to know the truth. I’m quite a
heavy smoker, for one thing—that is, I used to be. They made me cut it
out. Another thing, I grew six and a half inches last year. That’s also
how I practically got t.b. …”
The words “they” and “here” used by a character “Holden Caulfield”
are ambiguous. But the readers are allowed to presume from the
context that “they” might be the professionals helping out Holden and
“here” might be a rehabilitation center.
Anachronism
Placing an event, person, item, or
verbal expression in the wrong
historical period
Brutus: Peace! Count the clock.
Cassius: The clock has stricken
three
(Act II, scene i, lines 193-94).
~Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Of course, there were
no household clocks
during Roman times.
The reference is an
anachronism, either
accidental or
intentional.
* Remember to review ALL of the
previous literary terms. A couple of
questions will test those terms.
Store ALL in your L - O- N- G term
memory.
Works Cited
Ambiguity. Emory Handbook. Emory University. N.d. Web. 24 Jan.
2014.<http://www.english.emory.edu/classes/Handbook/amb
iguity.html>.
Ambiguity. N.d. Web. 24 Jan.
2014.<http://literarydevices.net/ambiguity/>.
Mental_Floss. Glam Publisher Network, 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 24 Feb.
2011. <http://www.mentalfloss.com/store/T-Shirts/>.