1. The story itself must furnish a clue that a detail is to be taken symbolically.
A clue is if an item is emphasized but not essential to the plot. Symbols nearly always signal their existence by emphasis, repetition, or position.
2. The meaning of the symbol must be established and supported by the entire context of the story.
There is a meaning in the story, not outside of it.
3. An item bust suggest a meaning different in kind from its literal meaning.
A symbol is more than a representation of a class or type. Each story suggests a generalization about life.
4. A symbol may have more than one meaning.
It may suggest a cluster of meanings. A symbol is like a many-faceted jewel: it flashes different colors when turned in the light. It has possibilities of complex meanings.
Allegory
A story that has a second meaning beneath the surface, endowing a cluster of characters, objects, or events.
Employing Allegory
Is not simply to create two levels of reality, one literal and one abstract.
Serious writers introduce ambiguity. Undercutting easy and simplistic interpretation.
Allegorical Pattern
Enables an author to achieve power through economy. The authors use of words could suggest a deeper meaning.
Fantasy
One that transcends the bounds of known reality. It is a game of make-believe where authors think up characters and put them down on paper. Can be to communicate truths by imagined facts.
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AP Lit Chapter 6 Notes: Symbol, Allegory, and Fantasy. (2019, Feb 01). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/ap-lit-chapter-6-notes-symbol-allegory-and-fantasy/