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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
Chapter 1: Old Moodie
Explanation and Analysis—Greek Mythology:
The Blithedale Romance contains many allusions to Greek mythology that ground a new story in old myths and draw parallels between the old and new worlds. In Chapter 1, Coverdale draws a comparison between The Veiled Lady and a Sibyl (a woman gifted with prophecy in Greek and Roman mythology):
I had propounded, for the Veiled Lady’s prophetic solution, a query as to the success of our Blithedale enterprise. The response, by-the-by, was of the true Sibylline stamp, nonsensical in its first aspect, yet, on closer study, unfolding a variety of interpretations, one of which has certainly accorded with the event.
Here the narrator says that the Veiled Lady's prophecy is "of the true Sibylline stamp." This means that it is both "nonsensical" and open to "a variety of interpretations." Coverdale hopes to find an answer as to whether the Blithedale experiment will succeed; however, the Veiled Lady provides very little straightforward advice. Despite her circuitous response, Coverdale avoids talking badly about her and retains his respectful tone when discussing her words. This makes sense later in the story when the reader finds out that Coverdale loves Priscilla (who is in fact the woman behind the veil).
Another allusion to Greek mythology appears in Chapter 3 when Coverdale refers to Blithedale as a "counterfeit Arcadia":
Nevertheless—it was a singular, but irresistible effect—the presence of Zenobia caused our heroic enterprise to show like an illusion, a masquerade, a pastoral, a counterfeit Arcadia, in which we grown-up men and women were making a play-day of the years that were given us to live in.
Here Zenobia's presence makes the project seem like an "illusion" or "masquerade." In other words, a womanly touch somehow devalues the "heroic" efforts of the men. Arcadia refers to a region in the central Peloponnese; in Greek mythology, it serves as the home of the gods Hermes and Pan. It also appears in Chapter 5 of The Blithedale Romance, when Coverdale refers to the terrible weather during their first month by exclaiming: "How cold an Arcadia was this!" These allusions ground a new story in old myths; they also suggest the unlikelihood of Blithedale's success by comparing it to a mythological— unreal—world.
Related Themes:
Chapter 3: A Knot of Dreamers
Explanation and Analysis—Greek Mythology:
The Blithedale Romance contains many allusions to Greek mythology that ground a new story in old myths and draw parallels between the old and new worlds. In Chapter 1, Coverdale draws a comparison between The Veiled Lady and a Sibyl (a woman gifted with prophecy in Greek and Roman mythology):
I had propounded, for the Veiled Lady’s prophetic solution, a query as to the success of our Blithedale enterprise. The response, by-the-by, was of the true Sibylline stamp, nonsensical in its first aspect, yet, on closer study, unfolding a variety of interpretations, one of which has certainly accorded with the event.
Here the narrator says that the Veiled Lady's prophecy is "of the true Sibylline stamp." This means that it is both "nonsensical" and open to "a variety of interpretations." Coverdale hopes to find an answer as to whether the Blithedale experiment will succeed; however, the Veiled Lady provides very little straightforward advice. Despite her circuitous response, Coverdale avoids talking badly about her and retains his respectful tone when discussing her words. This makes sense later in the story when the reader finds out that Coverdale loves Priscilla (who is in fact the woman behind the veil).
Another allusion to Greek mythology appears in Chapter 3 when Coverdale refers to Blithedale as a "counterfeit Arcadia":
Nevertheless—it was a singular, but irresistible effect—the presence of Zenobia caused our heroic enterprise to show like an illusion, a masquerade, a pastoral, a counterfeit Arcadia, in which we grown-up men and women were making a play-day of the years that were given us to live in.
Here Zenobia's presence makes the project seem like an "illusion" or "masquerade." In other words, a womanly touch somehow devalues the "heroic" efforts of the men. Arcadia refers to a region in the central Peloponnese; in Greek mythology, it serves as the home of the gods Hermes and Pan. It also appears in Chapter 5 of The Blithedale Romance, when Coverdale refers to the terrible weather during their first month by exclaiming: "How cold an Arcadia was this!" These allusions ground a new story in old myths; they also suggest the unlikelihood of Blithedale's success by comparing it to a mythological— unreal—world.
Related Themes:
Chapter 5: Until Bedtime
Explanation and Analysis—Utopia :
The Blithedale Romance contains a few subtle allusions to Thomas More's Utopia. First published in 1516, this work of political philosophy describes an ideal world in which everyone lives and works in perfect harmony. However, the work reveals itself to be a coded satire that mocks the ultimate inability of humankind to live and work as one. The idea of utopia appears in Chapter 5 of The Blithedale Romance when the characters make a list of potential titles for their communal project:
Zenobia suggested ‘Sunny Glimpse,’ as expressive of a vista into a better system of society. This we turned over and over, for awhile, acknowledging its prettiness, but concluded it to be rather too fine and sentimental a name (a fault inevitable by literary ladies, in such attempts) for sun-burnt men to work under. I ventured to whisper ‘Utopia,’ which, however, was unanimously scouted down, and the proposer very harshly maltreated, as if he had intended a latent satire.
Here Coverdale suggests the name "Utopia," which his new acquaintances promptly reject. The other characters want to avoid naming their project after a satire that is at odds with their purpose. Everyone seems very picky about the name of the commune, and their small spat hints at future disagreements. The "whisper" in which the narrator speaks the name Utopia, as well as his tendency to wait until Zenobia has made her suggestion, hints at his reluctance to participate seriously in the project.
Both Hawthorne and More criticize attempts to create a perfect society. The main difference between them is that Utopia is a satire and The Blithedale Romance is a "romance." More's work is a coded satire that seems to emphasize the positive aspects of a so-called "ideal" world. All the inhabitants of Utopia work together in perfect accord. However, their names say otherwise. The very name "Utopia" means "no place," which signifies the ultimate impossibility of creating a perfect world. By contrast, Hawthorne presents a much more plainly problematic picture, as the inhabitants of Blithedale find themselves in constant combat about whose vision will take precedence. Both authors take different approaches to expressing their pessimism about humanity's potential to create an ideal world. This particular allusion to Utopia reminds the reader that the Blithedale project will likely fail.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—A Nail in Sisera's Brain:
The Blithedale Romance contains a key allusion to the Biblical story of Sisera. Throughout this story, Sisera becomes an increasingly oppressive leader who uses violence to control the people of Israel. The Book of Judges chronicles his crushing taxation and enslavement of thousands of people with military enforcement. In Judges 4:21, after Sisera seeks shelter in a woman's tent after suffering a defeat by the Israelites, the woman (Jael) drives a nail into the sleeping Sisera's head. Coverdale references the "nail in Sisera's brain" in Chapter 5:
The night proved a feverish one. During the greater part of it, I was in that vilest of states when a fixed idea remains in the mind, like the nail in Sisera’s brain, while innumerable other ideas go and come, and flutter to-and-fro, combining constant transition with intolerable sameness.
Here Coverdale suffers in the cold during his first evening at Blithedale. He experiences a series of feverish thoughts and one vague "fixed idea" of the dangers to the Blithedale project. He compares this idea to the nail in Sisera's brain, which suggests how steadfast—and deadly—this idea might prove to be. Coverdale himself does not resemble Sisera in any way; he seems too passive and poetic to approximate an oppressive leader. The other ideas "come and go" with "intolerable sameness," which makes this one stand out in his mind.
Furthermore, this Biblical allusion is significant to the story's larger theme of the tension between personal and political motives. The purported goal of Blithedale is to preserve individuality. However, to create Blithedale, the characters must work in harmony. And harmony often requires many people working under a single vision. Big projects like this one historically require a violent dictatorship akin to that of Sisera. In the case of Blithedale, though, each character has his or her own personal interest in the project. Thus, it seems unlikely that Blithedale will succeed, because it lacks a singular leader who successfully executes one vision.
Related Themes:
