Allegory in English Literature

Allegory has been derived from a Greek term "allos" meaning "disguise". So allegory suggests to describe a thing under disguise of another thing. It is an extended narrative in prose or poetry that delineates a story which has an inner meaning.

We can distinguish two main types: Historical and Political allegory, in which the characters and actions represent, or allegorize historical events, and the other one is, the Allegory of ideas, in which the literal characters represent abstract concepts and the plot exemplifies a doctrine or thesis. Another type of allegory symbolizes any religious issue. For example, Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a Christian allegory of guilt and redemption.

John Keats makes a subtle use of allegory throughout his ode, "To Autumn", most explicitly in the second stanza, which represents autumn personified as a female figure and the scenes and the activities of the harvest season. Thus, allegory is a powerful literary figure of speech used by the skillful writer to give a moral, religious, or satirical meaning.

Romanticism in English Literature

Romanticism can be termed as a literary movement which is a protest against the Neo-classic poetic ideals. This movement starts with the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridge's lyrical Ballads. It prefers emotions and imagination to reason or intellect. C.H. Herford says, "Romanticism is the extra-ordinary development of imaginative sensibility." Another eminent critic says, " One poet is romantic because he falls in love; another romantic because he sees a ghost; another romantic because he hears a cuckoo." It is an unconventional and revolutionary theme. It has a high regard for nature and subjectivity. The subjectivity is at the root of sensuousness, Hellenism, escapism, allegory, pantheism, mysticism, and many other figures of speech. According to Wordsworth, “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful imagination recollected in tranquility." This definition highlights the main traits of romanticism- the flow of imagination, high tone of subjectivity, robust individualism, and less care for the rules.

Alliteration in English Literature

“Full fathom five, thy father lies.”

In this line by Shakespeare, the consonant “f” sound is repeated several times and this is an example of alliteration. So we can say that alliteration is the repetition of the letter or syllables or the same sound at the beginning of the two or more words in a line. In this way language becomes musical. The definition of alliteration can be referred also in different manners. According to Abrams, it happens when the recurrent sound occurs in a conspicuous position; at the beginning of a word or of a stressed syllable within a word. Again it is said that alliteration may happen at the beginning of nearby words or in the middle or even at the end of words provided stressed syllables. The use of alliteration makes the importance of literary significance in more intensified degree. This figure of speech is more frequent in writing poetry. By using alliteration a writer presents his sense of elegance in regard of his literary understanding. It shows and employment of mastery by the writer. For examples:

a) The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew

The furrow followed free. (Coleridge)

b) Puffs, powders, patches, bibles, billet-doux. (Pope)

c) With beaded bubbles winking at the brim. (Keats)

d) Alone, alone, all, all alone,

Alone, on a wide, wide sea! (Coleridge)