ABSTRACT
For all practical purposes, the Danish term Allegori is identical in meaning to the English word “allegory.”1 Derived from the Greek ἀλληγορεῖν, allegory suggests the act of speaking figuratively-that is, of speaking otherwise than one seems to speak. Literally, it means speaking otherwise, other speaking, or speaking to the other. An allegory offers the opportunity to speak, indicate, or represent one thing, yet mean another thing-in effect signifying two things at once. Used often in medieval and Renaissance literature, many traditional allegories proceed by way of emblems and personification, creating a representation of an abstract idea or theme through material forms. Authors such as Dante, Spenser, and Chaucer belong to the pantheon of allegorists, and Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) is arguably the most famous canonical work of allegorical literature as such. In some modern camps of literary criticism, such as deconstruction, allegory has seen a rejuvenation of interest, if not also a radical reinterpretation. The most dramatic reinterpretation of the form has resulted in the notion that all writing is allegorical-that is, no text is free from the possibility that its intended meaning is not, cannot be, transparent and secure. This argument proceeds from the basic premise of structural linguistics, namely, that the relationship between signifier and signified is always an arbitrary one.
