{"product_id":"the-oxford-handbook-of-allegory-david-parry-9780192894359","title":"The Oxford Handbook of Allegory","description":"Allegory has been variously defined as a literary genre, a mode of interpretation, and a symbolic dimension to all language. Although 'allegory' historically escapes easy definition, it can be broadly defined as a mode of communicating that says one thing and means another. Allegory arguably functions by means of a distinction between the surface level of communication and a further level or levels of significance beyond the surface. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe term 'allegory' has historically been used both of a mode of writing or representation and of a mode of reading and interpretation. Allegorical writing is found throughout history in a wide variety of literary forms and traditions. This\u003cem\u003e Handbook\u003c\/em\u003e reflects the diversity of literature in which allegory occurs, including genres such as medieval drama, Romantic poetry, and the postcolonial novel. It addresses both key texts typically thought of as allegories (such as \u003cem\u003ePiers Plowman\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Pilgrim's Progress\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eAnimal Farm\u003c\/em\u003e), and allegorical motifs and tendencies present in works not usually labelled as allegories, such as the novels of Dickens and the drama of Beckett. The \u003cem\u003eHandbook\u003c\/em\u003e also explores forms of allegorical representation beyond written texts, including visual art and film. In addition, the volume traces the history of allegorical reading and interpretation (often known as allegoresis), which has had immense cultural significance, especially in the case of sacred texts such as the Bible, but also, for instance, in the edifying readings of Greek myths and legends. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis \u003cem\u003eHandbook\u003c\/em\u003e tackles a topic that is by its nature global, transhistorical, and interdisciplinary, and its coverage reflects that breadth of appeal, starting with Plato's myth of the cave and finishing with the 2015 Disney\/Pixar film \u003cem\u003eInside Out\u003c\/em\u003e. It draws upon, and makes contributions to, fields including literary studies, film studies, art history, mathematics, classics, theology, and cognitive science. It features both traditional topics of discussion in relation to allegory (such as rhetoric, personification, and typology) and innovative new approaches (such as ecocritical and phenomenological readings), offering a kaleidoscope of perspectives to illuminate the ongoing resonance of allegory's 'other-speaking' to the present.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David Parry\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0192894358\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780192894359\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/06\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 640\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"David Parry","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47761211031807,"sku":"9780192894359","price":195.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_a27fd83c-1a8e-47e0-b896-3f357c87c080.jpg?v=1765514657","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-oxford-handbook-of-allegory-david-parry-9780192894359","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}