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Alliteration
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Part 1, Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Emma's Romanticism:
As a result of her love of theatre and literature, especially the romantic novels that have shaped her worldview, Emma makes constant allusions. She often positions herself as a grand heroine or otherwise beautiful and tragic female figure by aligning herself with characters such as those from The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. For example, Emma names her greyhound after Esmerelda’s goat Djali. She also later references the novel by comparing herself to Sachette when she decides to take an interest in caring for her daughter Berthe. Emma comparing her acts of motherhood to a character demonstrates how she learned the life skills and expectations of femininity from novels. Rather than something innate to her, motherhood is pure performance.
Alongside her references to romantic novels, Emma also alludes to various romanticized historical events and figures, as seen in the passage below from Part 1, Chapter 6:
In those months she made a cult of Mary Stuart, and had an enthusiastic veneration for illustrious or ill-fated women. Joan of Arc, Héloïse, Agnès Sorel, La Belle Ferronière, and Clémence Isaure, for her, they shone out like comets against the black immensity of history, whence there emerged as well, but further lost in shadow, and quite disconnected, Saint Louis under his oak-tree, the dying Bayard, a few ferocious crimes done by Louis XI, Saint Bartholomew’s something or other, the white plume of Henri IV, and always the memory of the painted plates exalting Louis XIV.
Her idolization and emulation of these figures is an attempt to elevate her life experiences to a legendary status and link her romantic ideals to an achievable reality through historical reference rather than pure fiction. However, even these more subdued romantic references contradict her mundane life and the novel’s realistic style. Her constant allusions leave her disappointed and emphasize how out of place a romantic like Emma is within a realistic setting.
Furthermore, Emma struggles to understand the world outside her romantic worldview and consistently uses these allusions to make sense of her life. This idealism emphasizes her naivety and encourages the audience’s sympathy as it becomes obvious that she is just a young girl trying to find happiness in the only way she knows how. Emma can only cope with her lack of agency by making herself into a character. Furthermore, she’s not the only one who sees herself this way. The men in the novel only confirm her worldview by seeing her solely as the ideal of a beautiful woman, who exists as an accessory or muse for men. Léon explicitly renders her as just a character in Part 3, Chapter 5:
She was the lover in every novel, the heroine in every play, the vague she in every volume of poetry.
As such, Emma’s romantic ideals and reduction of herself to a character are not just a product of her love of literature, but are a reflection of how the world around her denies her the ability to form an individual identity.
Related Themes:
Part 3, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Emma's Romanticism:
As a result of her love of theatre and literature, especially the romantic novels that have shaped her worldview, Emma makes constant allusions. She often positions herself as a grand heroine or otherwise beautiful and tragic female figure by aligning herself with characters such as those from The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. For example, Emma names her greyhound after Esmerelda’s goat Djali. She also later references the novel by comparing herself to Sachette when she decides to take an interest in caring for her daughter Berthe. Emma comparing her acts of motherhood to a character demonstrates how she learned the life skills and expectations of femininity from novels. Rather than something innate to her, motherhood is pure performance.
Alongside her references to romantic novels, Emma also alludes to various romanticized historical events and figures, as seen in the passage below from Part 1, Chapter 6:
In those months she made a cult of Mary Stuart, and had an enthusiastic veneration for illustrious or ill-fated women. Joan of Arc, Héloïse, Agnès Sorel, La Belle Ferronière, and Clémence Isaure, for her, they shone out like comets against the black immensity of history, whence there emerged as well, but further lost in shadow, and quite disconnected, Saint Louis under his oak-tree, the dying Bayard, a few ferocious crimes done by Louis XI, Saint Bartholomew’s something or other, the white plume of Henri IV, and always the memory of the painted plates exalting Louis XIV.
Her idolization and emulation of these figures is an attempt to elevate her life experiences to a legendary status and link her romantic ideals to an achievable reality through historical reference rather than pure fiction. However, even these more subdued romantic references contradict her mundane life and the novel’s realistic style. Her constant allusions leave her disappointed and emphasize how out of place a romantic like Emma is within a realistic setting.
Furthermore, Emma struggles to understand the world outside her romantic worldview and consistently uses these allusions to make sense of her life. This idealism emphasizes her naivety and encourages the audience’s sympathy as it becomes obvious that she is just a young girl trying to find happiness in the only way she knows how. Emma can only cope with her lack of agency by making herself into a character. Furthermore, she’s not the only one who sees herself this way. The men in the novel only confirm her worldview by seeing her solely as the ideal of a beautiful woman, who exists as an accessory or muse for men. Léon explicitly renders her as just a character in Part 3, Chapter 5:
She was the lover in every novel, the heroine in every play, the vague she in every volume of poetry.
As such, Emma’s romantic ideals and reduction of herself to a character are not just a product of her love of literature, but are a reflection of how the world around her denies her the ability to form an individual identity.
Related Themes:
