Invoking the Other: Allegory in Theory, from Demetrius to de Man
Authors: Silk, M.
Pages: 41-65
ISBN: 9781003183341
DOI: 10.4324/9781003183341-1
Abstract:What is it about allegory that so attracts the theoretical gaze, in recent times in particular? The history of the word “allegory” and its cognates in other languages shows that allegory has been debated and contested in all periods, from Greco-Roman antiquity onwards. The history of the word is fraught with complications, the specifics of which illuminate a welter of confusing or confused commentary on texts and contexts old and new: Witness the case of personification-allegory. Any attempt to come to terms with, or critique, contemporary theoretical usages calls for an informed understanding of this history.
Source: Scopus