1. Allusions

2. On a Scale of 1-10….How Funny is This Commercial?
Hummer commercial

3. What is an allusion?
An indirect reference in a literary work to a previously released literary work or to a person, place, or thing in history.
Key…to a previously released item.

4. In other words . . .
An allusion is when you are watching a movie or commercial or reading a book, and you recognize a scene or song or phrase (etc.) as something that was in an earlier movie or book.
The allusion is in the newer text. The text being alluded to is the older text.

5. What text is being alluded to
What text is being alluded to? In other words, what are the original texts?
Shrek start

6. WHY do authors make allusions?
1) Help the reader understand a difficult idea by relating it to an already known idea (from a familiar text)
2) A way for the writer to connect to the reader – A literary “wink” to the reader saying “you get me?”
3) Comedic effect…by referencing a potentially shared experience

7. Why Use Allusions? Self-sacrificing character
Used to summarize broad, complex ideas or emotions in one quick, powerful image.
Self-sacrificing character
Jesus
Really bad and mean character?
Devil
Cain

8. General Electric
GE and wizard of oz

9. How do I find / notice allusions?
Just like when making inferences…
Background knowledge!!!
Clues from the text
Background knowledge is critical—you have to know what an author is referring to in order to understand the allusion

10. What if I miss an allusion?
Nothing! Well, almost nothing.
(You won’t blow up or anything)
Allusions are risks by the author to make a point or connect to a reader.
If you don’t get an allusion, and you are the intended audience, the writer has failed.
Ideally the “story will go on,” but you might miss the literary “wink” by the author.

11. Three Most Common Texts
If you know these three texts, you will find and understand more allusions found in Western literature.
The Bible
Greek mythology / The Odyssey
Shakespeare

12. The bible

14. O’Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother - Judas

16. Greek Mythology

17. Tennessee’s professional football team and…
Tennessee’s professional football team and….the giant gods that Zeus conquered to become king of the universe.

18. Midas Mufflers – Named after the Greek king who turned everything to gold (good?) with his touch.
Theme song – “Trust the Midas touch!”

19. Ajax Cleaner – Named after the Greek soldier that fought Hector during the Trojan War.
Ajax is tough on stains… like Ajax was tough on Trojans!

20. FTD Florists and Hermes?

21. Nike Athletics?

22. Shakespeare

23. Brave Potatoes Shakespeare Children’s Book
What's in a name? that which we call a rose       By any other name would smell as sweet;
-Romeo and Juliet      

24. A Plague on Both Your Houses...
Friends and plague

25. Others and….
Silliness

26. Children’s Stories
Mona Lisa
Petite Rouge

27. More!
American Gothic
Petite Rouge

28. Within Disney
The Lion King
Hercules
Scar!

29. Others…
Titanic
And….
Where Does Joe Go?

30. Rumplestiltskin’s Daughter
Mona Lisa

31. Van Gogh?
Self-Portrait

32. Botticelli?
The Birth of Venus

33. Famous People in Aladdin

34. Ed Sullivan

35. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Shrek III

36. Which Have You Seen?
Easy Rider
Starsky and Hutch – 2004

37. Saturday Night Fever
Sat Night Fever

38. Airplane!
Airplane

39. Saturday Night Fever / Airplane
Okay, so why did the author of Airplane include the allusion to Saturday Night Fever?
To relate a difficult concept?
To connect to the reader?
For comedic effect?

40. Bridge on the River Kwai
Bridge – Bridge

41. The Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club - Bridge

42. The Karate Kid and….
Karate Kid

43. Hercules! (Disney)
Hercules – Karate Kid

44. The Untouchables
Untouchables

45. Naked Gun 33 and 1/3
Naked Gun - Untouchables

46. Titanic

47. The Simpsons Movie
Simpsons - Titanic

48. Midnight Cowboy….Anyone? Anyone??
Midnight Cowboy - Orig

49. Hercules!
Hercules - Cowboy

50. Miss Congeniality!
Congeniality - Cowboy

51. Shrek 2
Shrek 2 - Cowboy

52. Forrest Gump
Gump - Cowboy

53. Braveheart – Battle of Stirling

54. Hardware Commercial?
Braveheart - Ace

55. Caddyshack

56. Tiger Woods?
Caddyshack - Tiger

57. Deliverance and Dueling Banjos

58. Shrek 4

59. West Side Story

60. Scrubs

61. Vertigo - Stairwell

62. Batman

63. Stagecoach

64. Raiders of the Lost Ark

65. Star Wars
Star Wars – Am Your Father

66. Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2 - Father

67. Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park - Orig

68. Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2 – T-Rex

69. Risky Business
Risky Business - Orig

70. And..
Guitar Hero – Risky Business

71. And then…
Scrubs – Risky Business

72. Scarface
Scarface – Little Friends

73. Shark Tales
Shark Tales – Little Friends

74. Flashdance – The Original

75. Shrek II
Shrek 2 - Flashdance

76. Scrubs!
Scrubs - Flashdance

77. Rain Man
Rainman - Orig

78. The Hangover
Hangover – Rain Man

79. The Great Escape (1963)
Great escape - Orig

80. The Great Escape and….
Hummer – Great Escape

81. Review What are the three most commonly alluded to sets of texts?
What are the purposes of allusions?

82. Assignment!!