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Literary Devices
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
The Author's Apology
Explanation and Analysis—Tolstoy:
In the Author's Apology, part of the preface to Mrs. Warren's Profession, Shaw includes an important allusion to Tolstoy's infamous play The Power of Darkness:
I am quite sure that he sincerely thinks me a blackguard, and my play a grossly improper one, because, like Tolstoy's Dominion of Darkness, it produces, as they are both meant to produce, a very strong and very painful impression of evil.
The Power of Darkness was banned in Russia for many years following its publication. The play tells the story of Nikita, a man who impregnates his stepdaughter and subsequently murders their child. In this passage, Shaw attempts to speak on the literary merit of "immoral" texts, pointing out that he, like Tolstoy, does not necessarily endorse his characters' actions simply because he writes about them. On the contrary, Shaw's work is impressionistic, even didactic at times, presenting readers with a complex moral fabric to unweave and examine—if they so dare. Censorship is the all too-common opponent of controversial writers. By alluding to other censored plays, like The Power of Darkness, Shaw connects his own impressionistic, morally complex drama to a larger literary network of "immoral texts." He argues against the small-minded censorship of his own work, elevating the literary merit of other censored works as proof of his claims.
Related Themes:
