What is Allusion?

And, no, it’s not an imaginary vision or mirage, that’s an illusion with an I.

This is an allusion…

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

You already know who said it, don’t you? I never mentioned Spider-Man, Peter Parker, or his Uncle Ben. Yet, when you read that quote, the story clicked into place. It also evoked a feeling. That’s what allusion does: it evokes something powerful without spelling it out.

Allusion doesn’t explain itself. It doesn’t need to. Instead, it engages our collective memory. It invokes cultural references from books, movies, myths, historical moments, religious stories, songs, and even other characters. These references explain beneath the surface.

Remember our lesson on extended metaphor using Whitman’s “O’Captain”? I then provided an example from Dead Poets Society. The boys stand on their desks and say, “O’ Captain, my Captain.” That’s a perfect example of an allusion. The screenwriter referred to “O’ Captain” as a powerful salute to their teacher. This one allusion said everything necessary… “O’ Captain, my Captain.”

In fiction, allusion is a literary shortcut with emotional depth, as the example above shows. It takes a few words and connects them to a much larger story.

Think of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. At one point, he describes Gatsby’s “Platonic conception of himself.” That phrase, “Platonic conception,” refers to Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” It is a foundational philosophical extended metaphor about ideal forms versus perceived reality.

If you know Plato, the allusion speaks volumes. Gatsby has created an ideal self. This form isn’t grounded in reality. It is based on aspiration, illusion, and myth. Without explaining a word more, Fitzgerald communicates all of that in a phrase. That’s the brilliance of allusion.

Or consider Toni Morrison’s Beloved, which is full of Biblical allusions, particularly to the story of Moses and the flight from slavery. She never needs to name him outright; the reader understands the connection.

Allusions deepen meaning. They show your reader you trust them to make connections, to think deeply, to feel more.

So use them. Carefully. Powerfully. Don’t explain. Just drop the line, and let it echo.

Because with great literary power… comes great literary responsibility.

Happy Writing!

M.C. Convery