Understanding and using allusions

[thorbiorn]

Allusions was not a part of language that was given much attention when I went to school. What I was taught was the topic of metaphors, and they are close enough for there to be an article that explains the differences, see Allusion vs Metaphor: Fundamental Differences Of These Terms. In fact, some of what I knew as metaphors might have been closer to allusions. However, not knowing much about a topic can be a motivation to learn more.

In this post, there are first definitions, then links to articles and books, followed by excerpts from the sessions that include or relate to the topic of allusions.

From Collins Dictionary there is:

An allusion is an indirect reference to someone or something.
The title is perhaps an allusion to the author's childhood. [+ to]

Under synonyms for allusion, there are reference, mention, suggestion, hint, implication, innuendo, intimation, insinuation, casual remark, and indirect reference.

The dictionary gives both the British English and the American English, not that there is much difference, but:

in British English
1. the act of alluding
2. a passing reference; oblique or obscure mention

The entry for American English is similar but for 2. they have "an indirect reference; casual mention", their source for the American English entry is "Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 5th Digital Edition."

The etymology of the word allusion traces it back to latin allusio, a playing with, derived from alludere, to sport with.

Some articles with examples of allusions
A) Writing Tips Allusion Examples and Why You Need Allusion in Your Writing by Chelle Stein February 28, 2022 has in her explanation of what an allusion:
"an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly"

B) 300 Allusion Examples (With Sentences) Words / By Christopher who has divided the examples into categories.

C) 25+ Allusion Examples from Literature, Poetry, Film, & Life by Sarah Lentz on Oct 1, 2024, gives a different perspective on the meaning of allusion

What is Allusion?
Put simply, an allusion refers to something outside the moment in which your scene, song, or statement takes place.

An external allusion (which most allusions are) refers to something outside your story but familiar to your reader.

An internal allusion refers to something earlier in your story, which you hope your reader noticed.

The examples of allusions described in the article drawing upon themes in classical mythology, the stories in the Bible, poetry, history, literature, film & television, popular culture, and as they appear in everyday speech.

About the use of allusion, this author writes:

To create a sense of kinship with your readers
To convey a complex idea or connect your story to them
To add layers to your story and its characters
To engage with works your readers are already familiar with
To demonstrate your cultural literacy or challenge that of your readers

Books about allusions
For other examples there are a few books and dictionaries available on Amazon. As an example, the Merriam Webster Dictionary of Allusions which gives some terms and examples even the preview, not that one can use a preview as a reference, but the examples are well explained. Several books are not easy to get, or costly, like Allusions in the Press: An Applied Linguistic Study. However, if one can find it, there should be many examples of how allusions are used by journalists, and public figures. One of the points brought up by Sarah Lentz in the articles I mentioned earlier was that allusion allows the author to add layers to his story. One author who did was James Joyce probably did. For help deciphering them, there is a whole book: Allusions in Ulysses: An Annoted List by Weldon Thornton. Another work that is rich in allusion is mentioned by the Wiki where one finds:

In discussing the richly allusive poetry of Virgil's Georgics, R. F. Thomas 14 [14: "Virgil's Georgics and the art of reference" Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 90 (1986) pp 171–98.] distinguished six categories of allusive reference, which are applicable to a wider cultural sphere. These types are:
1) Casual reference, "the use of language which recalls a specific antecedent, but only in a general sense" that is relatively unimportant to the new context;
2) Single reference, in which the hearer or reader is intended to "recall the context of the model and apply that context to the new situation"; such a specific single reference in Virgil, according to Thomas, is a means of "making connections or conveying ideas on a level of intense subtlety";
3) Self-reference, where the locus is in the poet's own work;
4) Corrective allusion, where the imitation is clearly in opposition to the original source's intentions;
5) Apparent reference "which seems clearly to recall a specific model but which on closer inspection frustrates that intention"; and
6) Multiple reference or conflation, which refers in various ways simultaneously to several sources, fusing and transforming the cultural traditions.

Some of the above points might need examples for clarification, but the purpose of mentioning them was mainly to show that using allusions is a technique that was mastered by ancient authors.

Wondering about the context that would compel Virgil to use allusions, the Wiki for Georgics has:

Beginning with Caesar's assassination in 44 BCE and ending with Octavian's victory over Anthony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31 BCE, Rome had been engaged in a series of almost constant civil wars. After almost 15 years of political and social upheaval, Octavian, the sole surviving member of the Second Triumvirate, 11 became firmly established as the new leader of the Roman world. Under Octavian, 12 Rome enjoyed a long period of relative peace and prosperity. However, Octavian's victory at Actium also sounded the death knell of the Republic. With Octavian as the sole ruler of the Roman world, the Roman Empire was born.

It was during this period, and against this backdrop of civil war, that Virgil composed the Georgics. While not containing any overtly political passages, politics are not absent from the Georgics. Not only is Octavian addressed in the poem both directly and indirectly, but the poem also contains several passages that include references and images that could be interpreted as political, such as the description of the plague in Book 3 and Virgil's famous description of bee society in Book 4. It is impossible to know whether or not these references and images were intended to be seen as political in nature, but it would not be inconceivable that Virgil was in some way influenced by the years of civil war. Whether they were intentional or not, if we believe Suetonius,13 these references did not seem to trouble Octavian, to whom Virgil is said to have recited the Georgics in 29 BCE.

How would a Virgil think about the times we live in, and how would he use his pen? It would probably depend on where he lived, who he really was, what he understood about what is going on, and what he would be writing about.

Next, a selection of excerpts from the sessions that relate to allusions directly or indirectly.

Tone things a bit and use allusions more.
Session 30 January 2021

Q: (Joe) I have one last question. Several months ago, we talked about speaking out against things going on. They said strategic enclosure to the max. And we just... didn't pay any attention to that whatsoever. [laughter] I'm just wondering if there's any danger to us specifically due to the way we're pointing out things going on? Or are we in danger? One benefit I always thought is that we're in France, but we're writing in English for the Anglosphere. We're not really talking in French about what's going on in France.

(Chu) Well, we do have French SOTT and they do bash...

A: Tone things a bit and use allusions more.

Q: (Joe) So, I should write something like: “Isn't this strange the way things happen like this? Kinda weird! I think there might be something strange about what governments are doing. Maybe they're making a big mistake. What do you think?” [laughter]

What was being referred to above was from the following session, where there was:
Is that turmoil going to affect us directly here? - Very little as you are. But do not let your guard down. Strategic enclosure to the max. - Reduce agitation. It is mostly useless at this point.
Session 4 July 2020

A: Hello good people. Much turmoil ahead yet. Dark forces do not give up so easily.

Q: (L) And who do we have with us this evening?

A: Paikiaea!

Q: (L) Is that turmoil going to affect us directly here?

A: Very little as you are. But do not let your guard down. Strategic enclosure to the max.

Q: (Joe) In what way?

(Artemis) Don't kick the hornet's nest.

A: Yes

Q: (Artemis) Do things calmly, serenely, or just walk away. Be very gentle, because crazy forces are acting through people.

A: Reduce agitation. It is mostly useless at this point.

Q: (Andromeda) So, they're talking about... our political activism?

A: Yes

Q: (Andromeda) Like, uh, Twitter?

(Chu) Facebook.

A: Yes

Q: (Artemis) Are you guys doing something that's gonna make them break down the door and then say you have coronavirus?

(L) No.

(Andromeda) What about SOTT? Should we be more toned down on SOTT, or is it alright as it is?

A: Tone down slightly.

Q: (Artemis) Well, what do they mean? We're so used to SOTT being SOTT...

(Joe) Is that specifically in reference to the coronavirus business and stuff that's come from that?

A: Yes. The virus is the stick at the moment.

Q: (L) As in “stick and carrot”.

(Andromeda) Okay, that's the hornet's nest, not the kick.

(L) So, if we keep calling them all liars, that’s not good. We can publish studies and stuff that point out that they're liars, but us coming out and directly antagonizing them might not be such a good idea.

A: Yes

And five years after "Strategic enclosure to the max" and "Reduce agitation. It is mostly useless at this point." there was:

Make it a point to keep a low profile from here on. Things are about to get stranger than you can imagine.
Session 27 September 2025

Q: (L) Do you have anything particular to tell us before we get started with questions?

A: Make it a point to keep a low profile from here on. Things are about to get stranger than you can imagine.

Q: (L) Does that mean on social media?

A: Yes

Q: (Joe) So, a low profile about... Do we have to stop talking about Israel? Should we?

A: It would be best.

Q: (L) Should we delete our social media accounts which are full of our rants about Israel?

A: Yes

Q: (Chu) Delete our accounts or just the posts?

A: Posts if possible.

Q: (Joe) So the more inflammatory, accusatory, pointed posts referring to specifically Israel and Jewish deep-stater type things?

A: Yes

Q: (Joe) But other things we can talk about?

A: Yes

Q: (L) Well, does that mean that other people are going to have to do it too? I mean like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens?

A: Let them handle it. They are better protected. In your case, knowledge protects.

Q: (Joe) Is our forum okay for posting whatever we want?

A: Yes

Q: (Joe) Just not public.

(Scottie) What about SOTT? That's loaded with...

A: Yes

Q: (Chu) SOTT is okay.

(Joe) So it's individual...

(L) ...Individuals that can be targeted.

Later in the same session, the discussion shifts to some drones observed over northern Europe mainly, followed by quick insinuations from local politicians and their experts that Russia is implicated.
Again, for safety, keep a low profile on social media. Things are getting a little bit shaky. - Carefully as she goes!

(Joe) No, hang on. So a few days ago, they shut down Copenhagen Airport because there was a drone or a few drones seen over it. And then today, so a few days later, similar drones, maybe not similar, but drones (lights in the sky) reported over military bases in Denmark, and possibly over France, or Germany...

(Chu) And definitely Oslo, Norway.

(Joe) Right, Norway, maybe... whatever, a few places. Just vague reports really. The main one was Denmark...

(Niall) Which was filmed.

(Joe) Yeah, lights in the sky, similar to New Jersey. But they've said consistently that there's no evidence that they're Russian. So...

(L) They've said that consistently...

(Joe) Yes, the Danish government has said that they have no evidence that this has anything to do with Russia. So the question is, what were those drones? Are they similar to what happened over New Jersey? Is there another flap?

(L) What happened in New Jersey?

(Joe) The drones in New Jersey last year, remember?

(L) Yeah, but I don't remember what that was.

(Joe) That was allegedly 37% alien drones, and 67% human drones flown up to muddy the water. And it was designed to just spook the population, and maybe be a preparatory step to some eventual "savior space brothers" coming to...

(L) All right. So we've got more drones. Are these similar in origin to the New Jersey drones?

A: No.

Q: (Joe) Is it a kind of false flag to try and implicate Russia? Is it something along those lines?

A: Yes.

Q: (L) So they're going to go there, eventually.

(Joe) And the Danish government was smart enough to go, "Hang on a minute, there's no evidence that this is the Russians." The Danes at least are not taking the bait.

(Chu) Yeah, but they're still saying, "We need to work with Ukraine, and..."

(Joe) But at least they're not saying, they're not jumping in with the... because there has been a concerted effort in the past while to try and implicate Russia, with Poland, Romania... anyway.

(L) Right. They've got all kinds of stuff going on.

(Niall) In the European media, they're telling Euro-Normies that Russia is basically in the process of invading Europe.

(L) And that's so ridiculous!

(Joe) Well, they can say that, but it's ridiculous. Yeah.

(Niall) The Danish government could say that, but the Danish media will just go with the flow. The insinuation of Russia is attached to all of these.

A: Again, for safety, keep a low profile on social media. Things are getting a little bit shaky.

Q: (L) So we can let other people do those things because they're in a better protected position.

(Joe) So don't talk about drones either.

(Niall) I think they mean don't be so pro-Russia because they're about to actually try and frame them for an atrocity, maybe?

(Joe) Should we not be so pro-Russian on social media? Is that another recommendation?

A: Carefully as she goes!

What experiences have others gathered with understanding allusions, using allusions, or coming up with ideas for allusions?
When asking this, I'm aware responses could bring the topic into the field of creative writing, rather than being closer to linguistics, but if language includes practice of communication and analysis of content? Anyway, if it does not work out, the thread can always be moved.

 

[thorbiorn]

Listing the ideas from the Cs quoted in the previous post:

Tone things a bit and use allusions more. - Session 30 January 2021

Is that turmoil going to affect us directly here? - Very little as you are. But do not let your guard down. Strategic enclosure to the max. - Reduce agitation. It is mostly useless at this point. - Session 4 July 2020

Make it a point to keep a low profile from here on. Things are about to get stranger than you can imagine.
Again, for safety, keep a low profile on social media. Things are getting a little bit shaky. - Carefully as she goes! - Session 27 September 2025

The above suggestions could be related to, and in one respect contrasted with, the suggestions in an earlier session:
Butterfly wings of sharing information and, most importantly, perspectives.
Session 23 August 2014

(KJN) We're beginning to aim things for the group. [???] We're looking at the spectrum of positives and negatives, as in electricity, as in societies, and the whole cosmic thing. We're wondering if you have some advice for our group in order to be able to move our set point, our middle point to a more positive aspect that will counterbalance something in the world. Or should be look at this through a different type of lens?

A: Butterfly wings of sharing information and, most importantly, perspectives.

Q: (L) I think it's not enough to share just factual information. I think you have to share what you feel about it: how it affects you, your emotions, etc. You see something happening, and your perspective is “this is what is happening and this is what I feel”. Probably one of the best and most efficient ways to do that is when you write commentary on SOTT articles. You're sharing the information and you're giving your perspective. And doing it on Facebook, doing it on Twitter, and so on. Doing it whenever you can as long as it doesn't put you in danger or create some problem in your life. I've noticed that just our little mini-campaign has been emboldening other people to come out and say things. I've noticed people have been sharing SOTT links on Twitter who never knew of SOTT before. I've noticed people coming out and saying positive things and seeing through the BS. I've gotten engaged with a few people there. I also got banned by five pro-Ukraine fascists!

(Andromeda) Good job.

(L) But I decided that instead of doing my hit-and-run and telling people that they're delusional idiots, I would instead do my hit-and-run posting of links with information and what I think about it. I was just venting my spleen a little bit. These people were so freaking stupid, I had to tell them! Wasn't my fault!

[laughter]

(L) Sharing a perspective... When a lot of people start doing it, and other people notice it and see that there were ten other people saying the same thing that day, they start to think, "Gee, there must be a lot of people thinking that!" Ya know? Maybe they can allow themselves to think that, too. I think that's important. Okay, I hit the barrier.

If I combine the recommendations above, an interpretation would be to share perspectives, but using allusions more, and when sharing information directly, to consider the requirements for strategic enclosure and what is compatible with a low profile on social media.

Communicating perspectives and using allusions can of course include politics
That is what Laura was referring to the above excerpt. Earlier, there was:
Have we gone completely astray by mixing in politics? - Absolutely and vehemently not!!! There is no possibility of true spiritual work progressing without full awareness of the world that surrounds you.
Session 3 January 2009

Q: (L) I have a question I want to ask. A lot of people say that esotericism and politics shouldn't be mixed together, that somebody who has esoteric pursuits - or spiritual pursuits, let me put it that way - shouldn't be interested in "worldly" things. I would like to have your view on this. Have we gone completely astray by mixing in politics?

A: Absolutely and vehemently not!!! There is no possibility of true spiritual work progressing without full awareness of the world that surrounds you. What have we said about "true religion?" Let your curiosity guide you. In its pure state curiosity is a spiritual function.

Allusions and communicative models
To illustrate the function of an allusion, one can use communication models. The English Wiki is well supplied, and below are a few:

Many models of communication include the idea that a sender encodes a message and uses a channel to transmit it to a receiver. Noise may distort the message along the way. The receiver then decodes the message and gives some form of feedback. 1

When an allusion is used, one could say that there is a layer of encoding, since the allusion may not be understood by the receiver, if the context for the allusion is not known or perceived.

Sometimes a communication is simple:

The above is a linear model. In a linear model, like when an article is written by an author and read by a reader, the sender, that is the author, can often not know how the message is received by the reader. But using allusions an author can veil the message.

The following model is slightly more complex.

In the interaction model, the sender and receiver exchange messages, this allows the author to gage the impact of an allusion, as well as select an allusion more particular to a situation.


Allusion and translation
When I searched on Amazon for books on allusion, I skipped realizing the obvious that some allusions are particular to a language and do not translate well into another, just like word puns often fail to make sense when translated. The good news is that there are also works about allusions in at least some other languages, even if one may have to look around or in some cases generate a personal collection.

 

[Magnolia]

"Allusion is a literary device that refers to a person, place, or thing outside of the spoken words."
I would guess allusions can also stymie AI since it has no innate creativity or material experiences. For example, I can transmit the heat level on my wood stove by saying, "The stove just hit 9:10," meaning it's not at a good burn rate yet, but it's getting there. I don't think AI would "get" what I'm saying, although any human who knows clocks and burn meters would.
It's kind of like 2 people using American sign language in a room full of blind people who have developed exceptional hearing capabilities but can't see what's going on.