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How to Hunt for Allusions in Literature (Patreon)

Published:
2022-07-15 15:26:27
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

We talk about literary allusions frequently. We even have an allusion hunting reading assignment for our Ulysses series.

But what exactly is an allusion? And how do we go about identifying them? How do we uncover the meaning of allusions? 

In this video we are discussing:

  • the two kinds of allusion
  • Homeric & Shakespearean allusions
  • allusions and the cyclicality of history
  • how to approach our hunt for allusions
  • why Modern writers use so many allusions

Video Timestamps:

  • 0:00 why allusions are like life
  • 1:40 allusions in Modern Literature
  • 2:10 what is an allusion?
  • 3:00 etymological excavations
  • 3:50 fun & the Joycean allusion
  • 4:29 two main kinds of allusions
  • 5:00 metempsychosis in Ulysses
  • 5:30 rebirth & transmigration of souls
  • 5:50 Homeric parallels in Ulysses
  • 6:00 poetry, repetition & meaning
  • 7:40 self-referentiality & intertextuality
  • 8:10 Shakespearean & biblical allusions
  • 8:40 Miltonic allusions in Richardson
  • 9:20 example of Shakespearean allusion
  • 10:00 is it possible to ‘get’ all the allusions?
  • 10:20 T. S. Eliot & Ezra Pound on James Joyce
  • 11:40 understanding biblical allusions
  • 12:40 allusions in Melville’s Moby Dick
  • 12:50 a passage from Finnegans Wake
  • 14:00 example of Homeric allusions
  • 14:20 allusions to Dublin place names
  • 14:58 direct vs indirect allusions
  • 15:05 allusions in Eliot’s Middlemarch
  • 16:20 reading Homer to read Joyce?
  • 17:00 a discussion on “right” translations
  • 18:20 how to enjoy Homer’s epics
  • 20:00 accepting not understanding everything
  • 20:30 why does Joyce use an epic structure?
  • 21:00 modernism & literature in crisis
  • 21:20 the shifting meaning of ‘Homeric’
  • 22:30 the cyclical nature of history
  • 23:00 history recurs in the individual
  • 23:45 Leopold Bloom as Odysseus
  • 24:30 the rise of the anti-hero in literature
  • 27:00 genius as time in the individual
  • 28:00 why hunt for allusions?
  • 30:20 which allusions should you follow?
  • 31:30 words of encouragement for your hunt
  • 32:20 canon formation as mnemonic
  • 32:50 Ulysses as a divisive book
  • 33:30 how to enjoy Joyce’s Ulysses

Questions to Consider:

1) Have you encountered any intriguing allusions lately? 

2) Thought experiment: Put yourself in the position of these great writers. What kind of allusions would you find yourself using in your great work of literature? Which works would you reference? 

Happy allusion hunting, everybody!

Files

Previews only

How to Hunt for Allusions in Literature

0:00 why allusions are like life 1:40 allusions in Modern Literature 2:10 what is an allusion? 3:00 etymological excavations 3:50 fun & the Joycean allusion 4:29 two main kinds of allusions 5:00 metempsychosis in Ulysses 5:30 rebirth & transmigration of souls 5:50 Homeric parallels in Ulysses 6:00 poetry, repetition & meaning 7:40 self-referentiality & intertextuality 8:10 Shakespearean & biblical allusions 8:40 Miltonic allusions in Richardson 9:20 example of Shakespearean allusion 10:00 is it possible to ‘get’ all the allusions? 10:20 T. S. Eliot & Ezra Pound on James Joyce 11:40 understanding biblical allusions 12:40 allusions in Melville’s Moby Dick 12:50 a passage from Finnegans Wake 14:00 example of Homeric allusions 14:20 allusions to Dublin place names 14:58 direct vs indirect allusions 15:05 allusions in Eliot’s Middlemarch 16:20 reading Homer to read Joyce? 17:00 a discussion on “right” translations 18:20 how to enjoy Homer’s epics 20:00 accepting not understanding everything 20:30 why does Joyce use an epic structure? 21:00 modernism & literature in crisis 21:20 the shifting meaning of ‘Homeric’ 22:30 the cyclical nature of history 23:00 history recurs in the individual 23:45 Leopold Bloom as Odysseus 24:30 the rise of the anti-hero in literature 25:30 Vico’s cycles of history 27:00 genius as time in the individual 28:00 why hunt for allusions? 30:20 which allusions should you follow? 31:30 words of encouragement for your hunt 32:20 canon formation as mnemonic 32:50 Ulysses as a divisive book 33:30 how to enjoy Joyce’s Ulysses

Comments

Elizabeth Madden
>>88615385

I am aware that this is a very late reply to your question, Ellen, but I only joined in Jan. and I am re-reading the book with the mini-group commencing in July 2023. As a seasoned reader of this epic, I would say that Joyce most likely intended that his readers pay heed to the allusions, otherwise why bother including them? One of his stated intentions, only mildly tongue in cheek, was that his readers should devote their whole lives to reading his book- and indeed, some of us have. I am aware that some readers find it very tedious, having to spend time looking up allusions, or even reading annotations and footnotes, but in my experience, a much richer appreciation is achieved if one takes the time to do this.

Ellen M
>>88615385

Hi Elizabeth I couldn’t agree more. In the year since my post I’ve learned that some writers more than others do indeed require that the reader take the time to delve into these annotations. I’d add that certain writers like Joyce, to more recently McCarthy, demand this extra work for the experience to be appreciated to the fullest. The more time passes the more I realize how many works can be a life long journey, growing in richness with every subsequent read.

Elizabeth Madden
>>88615385

I must confess that I have not yet read Cormac McCarthy, though I shall try to do so when time permits. So many thoughtful readers are recommending him.

Ellen M
>>88615385

Hi Elizabeth, Ive only read about 5 of his works but he’s the writer that most comes to mind when I think of contemporary works that have meanings crammed into every paragraph (a la Joyce even though it’s hardly a comparison). Not the ‘happiest’ or most uplifting of books but I find myself thinking about them long after I’ve finished them. I look forward to your thoughts if and when you do decide to read him, please reach out when you do so!

Elizabeth Madden
>>88615385

I most certainly will. As you have read Ulysses, it would be marvelous if you would kindly add some comments and thoughts/impressions of your own about the book- we will be reading it according to the original lecture schedule, so please post comments there. It would also be good if you would be willing to help out any of our readers who is struggling to get to grips with something, as it would be great if we could all help and encourage each other together.

Ellen M
>>88615385

I dont flatter myself in thinking I can be super helpful with others re Ulysses 😂😂 I was definitely one of the members who were treading water and doing my best to keep up but of course, will pop in to the comments and join when I can. The experience is so rewarding when sharing commentary, more so for certain books over others. Ulysses definitely fell in to that category for me!

Curtis B.

Thanks, Ben, for another excellent lecture. There's a passage at the start of the Nestor chapter that I wanted to discuss. I've been thinking about it for a few days, and I'm curious as to what you and others in the group might think. At the start of the chapter, Stephen is asking his pupils about Pyrrhus. With references to Tarentum, 279 B.C. and Asculum as well as the quote "Another victory like that and we are done for," anyone who has studied classics or ancient history will know that Stephen is talking about Pyrrhus of Epirus before he ever mentions him by name. Between the first allusion to Pyrrhus—"Tarentum"—and the second—"Asculum, Stephen said, glancing at the name and date in the gorescarred book"—we see Stephen's mind wander. One of the images that Joyce puts into Stephen's mind is of "shattered glass and toppling masonry and time one livid final flame." I think Joyce is using the direct allusions to Pyrrhus of Epirus, a historical figure, to make an indirect allusion to the mythological Pyrrhus, mentioned in the play within the play in Act 2.2 of "Hamlet," which itself is an allusion to Book 2 of Virgil's "Aeneid." We know that Stephen (and Joyce, of course) has a profound interest in "Hamlet." If he were to hear or read the name Pyrrhus, it would be surprising if he didn't immediately think of "The rugged Pyrrhus, he whose sable arms, Black as his purpose, did the night resemble When he lay couched in th'ominous horse ..." Shakespeare is, of course, retelling the story from Book 2 of "The Aeneid," which gives us Aeneas' description of the sack of Troy. The image that arises in Stephen's mind—"shattered glass and toppling masonry and time one livid final flame"—would have had no place at the battle of Asculum, which was a cavalry and infantry battle fought on a plain and in forested hills; the image is one rather of a city under siege. In Virgil's description of the sack of Troy, we see just these sorts of images (from the Fagles translation: "the pillars proud with trophies, gilded with Eastern gold, they all come tumbling down—and the Greeks hold what the raging fire spares"; "where you see the massive ramparts shattered, blocks wrenched from blocks, the billowing smoke and ash." There's another reason to think that Joyce is using the historical Pyrrhus to make an allusion to his mythological namesake. The latter is another variation on the theme of sons with absent fathers. Pyrrhus was the son of Achilles; he played no part in the Trojan war until his long-absent father was killed. Odysseus—or Ulysses, as he is known in "The Aeneid"—was one of the Greeks who went to Scyros to recruit Pyrrhus. In one version of events following the siege of Troy, Pyrrhus—like Odysseus—was blown off course and never made it home. Instead, he established a new kingdom in Epirus, the eventual home of the historical Pyrrhus from the battle of Asculum. Unless the historical Pyrrhus plays an important role later in the novel, I think Joyce chose Pyrrhus simply to lead the reader to all these other allusions. After all, he could have chosen any historical figure or event for this scene. The fact that he chose one with the same name as a figure from the Trojan War who had close ties to Odysseus and who is mentioned in "Hamlet" is too much to shrug off as meaningless coincidence. The annotated edition that I'm reading comments on the allusions to Blake here, but it doesn't say anything about the potential allusions to "Hamlet" and "The Aeneid." If anyone else has any thoughts on this passage, I'd love to hear them.

Ellen M

I am about to start Ulysses next week so this is a random thought on allusions in general. I feel a sense of satisfaction when I catch an allusion, I love making the connection between various works, wondering why the author decided to insert the particular reference -and I’ll be honest, it strokes my ego as well (hey I caught that, guess I’m well read !) I wonder about the reader who doesn’t catch any of the allusions in a book: how much are they missing out, is the sense or intention of the book much diminished? I suppose it depends on the book, but I am now thinking about this and making categories in my mind. Which books are the ones that really require a knowledge of the allusions in order to be best enjoyed/understood?