Literary Allusions Flashcards
Antediluvian
“Before the flood”, a reference to anything that happened ages ago.
Edenic
From Genesis; now, a reference to a perfect time
Israelites
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew tribes who were looking for a homeland; in American literature, the group with which the Puritans identified.
Job
Old Testament man who God causes to suffer terribly but keeps his faith; now, anyone who suffers with patience (Pronounces with a long “O” sound, as opposed to having an occupation).
Ahab
Biblical king who turns to worship of idols; also, Melville’s captain in Moby Dick; now, anyone who is inclined to dark and evil intentions.
Apocalypse
The final battle between God and Satan; or, the end of the world
Catch-22
From Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22, in which the mani character is caught in a circular problem. Now, any situation where you lose no matter your decision.
Noble Savage
Refers to an unpolished person who is more worthy than his or her more “civilized” acquaintances.
Brahim
Members of a Boston literary group, references to the Hindi word, Brahmin, meaning of the highest social castle. Now means any socially prominent and intellectually refined individual.
Holy Grail
From the King Arthur legends; the cup of the Last Supper sought by King Arthur’s Knights; a quest for a, possibly, unattainable goal.
Galahad
Purest of King Arthur’s knights; now, a representation of purity and perfection.
Camelot
King Arthurs’s court; now, a reference to a place of justice and chivalry.
Round Table
Table around which all Arthur’s knights sit; now, a place of friendship and loyalty.
Sisyphean
From Sisyphus, a Greek king whose punishment is to push a rock up a hill for eternity; now, a never ending task.
Herculean
Monumental tasks that require superhuman efforts to accomplish.
Prometheus
Greek God/titan who defied authority; now, a person who is independent, defiant, and willing to sacrifice for his or her beliefs.
Athena/ Pallas Athena
The Greek goddess of wisdom and war
Homeric
After Homer, writer of the epics, The Iliad and the Odyssey, which were heroic and immense; now, anything that is larger than life.
Achilles (heel)
Greatest Greek warrior; killed by a poisoned arrow shot into his heel, his only vulnerable spot; now any person’s place of most vulnerability.
Tabula Rasa
From Latin for “blank slate”; now, a fresh and unsullied mind, ready to be inscribed with knowledge.
Faustian
Original, a story in which Dr. Faustus sells his should to the devil to gain power, youth, and wealth. Now, a bargain in which a person sacrifice everything to obtain immediate gratification, but pays a price later.
Utopia
Originally, Thomas More’s book about perfect society. Now, a reference to an idea perfection.
Dystopia
A society, often futuristic, that is falling apart.
