NOTES – Chapter 6 – Symbol/Allegory/Fantasy
Compression – characteristic of most successful stories; writers aim is to say as
much as possible as briefly as possible.
- is achieved by exercising a careful selectivity
- are 3 resources used to achieve COMPRESSION:
 SYMBOL
 ALLEGORY
 FANTASY
SYMBOL – something that means MORE than what it suggests on the surface
- may be an object, person, situation, an action
- simplest form – NAME SYMBOLISM – characters’ names suggest
something about them
- use of objects and actions is MORE important
- can REINFORCE and ADD; can also CARRY meaning (depending on type
of story)
How do readers recognize SYMBOLS?
The ability to recognize and identify symbols requires PERCEPTION and TACT.
- it is better to miss symbolic meanings of a story than to pervert its meaning
by discovering symbols that are nonexistent.
Must OBSERVE the following CAUTIONS (when identifying SYMBOLS):
1. The story itself must furnish the clue that a detail is to be taken symbolically.
o symbols nearly always signal their existence by emphasis, repetition,
or position.
2. The meaning of a literary symbol must be established and supported by the
entire context of the story.
o the symbol must have meaning IN the story, not OUTSIDE it…
3. To be called a symbol, an item must suggest a meaning different in KIND
from its literal meaning; a symbol is something more than the representative
of a class or type.
4. A symbol may have more than one meaning; it may suggest a cluster of
meanings.
o at its MOST EFFECTIVE, a SYMBOL is like a many-faceted jewel
o possible meaning is ALWAYS controlled by context
ALLEGORY – is a story that has a second meaning beneath the surface,
endowing a cluster of characters, objects or events with added significance.
- puts less emphasis on literal meanings and more on the ulterior meanings
- ulterior meanings are more fixed and usually constitute a pre-existing system
of ideas or principles
- an author employing ALLEGORY usually does not intend simply to create
two levels of reality – one LITERAL and one ABSTRACT
- the creation of an ALLEGORICAL pattern of meaning enables an author to
achieve POWER through ECONOMY
FANTASY – type of story that abandons factual representation altogether
- non-realistic story – transcends the bounds of known reality
- is established when an author goes a step further and creates a story that is
entirely implausible or impossible
- requires a ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ – Alice in Wonderland