A couple of weeks ago, I found myself immersed in a conversation centered around literary allusions and the effect they have on the human populace as a whole. I know—only me, right?
I know this isn’t really a typical topic of conversation, or a particularly interesting one for most people, but bear with me here. I’m going somewhere with this, I promise.
From this conversation, I realized a lot about the human pursuit of knowledge. For example, let’s say you’re reading an article on CNN or BuzzFeed about bees. As you’re reading, you come across a specific region or country that you’re unfamiliar with, so you either look it up manually, or you click that handy little shortcut attached to the word which takes you to an entirely new article dedicated to that specific location. Sometimes our shortening attention spans loses interest in the topic at hand, and we click on something else, embarking on an entirely new journey of search and discovery. Our brains want to learn.
Novels and poetry heavy in allusions have similar effects on us, striking the match of curiosity and persuading our minds to enter the bottomless pit of information awaiting us. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde has pushed me into this pit several times. Never heard of the book? Go ahead, look it up.
In the novel, Wilde makes several literary, mythological, philosophical, historical, artistic and musical references. As the plot unfolds, Wilde primarily discusses the intensity of human nature and vanity. However, through his in-depth allusions, he discusses so much more. Upon reading this book, I learned the story of the Greek God Adonis, god of beauty and desire—hence Wilde’s themes about vanity. I learned that Adonis was incestuously conceived (his father is also his grandfather, ew) and born from a tree. Isn't that wilde?
For me, the experience of reading this novel was one of the most informative in my life. I spent hours on end researching each allusion I stumbled upon, and I slowly realized I had barely begun to scratch the surface. I read of King Louis XVI, Plato and several characters from Shakespeare’s "Othello." My quest for knowledge was catalyzed by none other than Wilde’s countless allusions and my own curiosity.
So, my point is this: Allusions, wherever they may lie, serve a much larger purpose in the human consumption of information than you’d think. Reading novels and poetry rich in cultural and historical references often ignite passions and inspire discoveries in unimaginable quantities. It is when we begin to explore the things literature can teach us outside each work that we will truly begin to learn. Now, I’m not saying you have to run off and read Oscar Wilde—I realize he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. All I’m saying is, next time you’re reading something and you come across a reference you don’t understand, you should explore it. Dive enthusiastically into the wormhole of information at your fingertips.
Instead of absorbing mindless words thrown around on social media all the time, take a few minutes to explore real information. Give into the curiosity resting in your mind. I did, and my life hasn’t really been the same since. Thanks, Oscar.
