Creating Allegory That ISN'T Completely Obvious - Writers Forum

Mr Peace · 01-31-2006, 06:03 AM

Allegory immediately enriches a story with symbolism, but it's so hard to write well. Too often, it's painfully obvious that I'm trying to make a subtle comment, and the whole work is cheapened. If your symbolic representation is too blunt, the entire piece just becomes a soapbox in the eyes of your reader. That ruins everything.

Are there any specific tactics you can use to weave allegory into the fabric of your fiction story more covertly? Maybe it's just better to stick to loud-mouthed polemic if you have a point to make.

Any thoughts?

Stewart · 01-31-2006, 07:15 AM

Give an example of what you have done before and why you feel it is too obvious.

darthwader · 01-31-2006, 08:02 AM

Perhaps if you keep your underlying message in your mind at all times, but don't intentionally write anything about it, your story may just "absorb" it as you go. The best way to avoid writing something obvious is to not know that you are writing it.

Kane · 01-31-2006, 09:30 AM

One way to do it is to write your story, and then, during your rewrites, drop subtle hints here and there.

Mike C · 01-31-2006, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kane

One way to do it is to write your story, and then, during your rewrites, drop subtle hints here and there.

It IS a way, but I don't think it works well. For an allegory to work it needs to be woven into the fabric of the story, or be the canvas you paint on. The story should revolve around the allegorical subject, never quite making contact. It's not easy.

Maybe take your original subject and look at it from different angles. see how it would pan out in a new time and context. Stretch it, distort it, make it virtually unrecognisable, Then use that as a basic outline for your story.

Kane · 01-31-2006, 11:11 AM

You don't think it works well? How often have you tried it? Allegory won't keep a reader reading, but a well written, good story will. Write the story. A book takes numerous re-writes before it is finished. If you know what you're writing about, your story will already lean toward the allegory you are trying to offer. During your re-writes, you will already be polishing your story. This is an excellent time to add the little things that will shape your allegory the way you want it.

Mike C · 01-31-2006, 11:27 AM

If it works for you, do it. From a personal perspective, tacking bits on as an afterthought never works as well as thinking it through from the outset. The well written bit should go without saying either way.

Kane · 01-31-2006, 11:54 AM

It's not tacking on bits as an afterthought. It's writing the story you want to tell, with the underlying allegory in mind, and then polishing it up afterward, tying in any loose ends. It has to be done to any story anyway, there are no exceptions. No story is complete with the first write. Why should an allegorical tale, which is more complex and woven, be any different?

Mike C · 01-31-2006, 01:11 PM

Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying; I got the impression you meant "Write the story first, add in allegorical pointers on the rewrite."

Apologies if you think they're due.

suzakugaiden · 01-31-2006, 05:08 PM

I don't agree that symbolism always enriches stuff. Just sticking it in will suck, and while English teachers nation wide will jump on it and hail it as brilliant... well, they suck too.

The most obvious advice is avoid obvious symbols. No Christ figures, for instance.

Second, as someone mentioned, integrate the allegory with the story. I'll take that a bit further and say this: don't let it OVERTAKE your story.

I'm also going to say that the subtle hints in rewrite method probably won't work. You'll have a story layer, and an allegory layer. Subsequently, they might butt heads, one might overshadow the other and, worst of all, it will feel like the allegory was just added in for the sake of allegory. Actually, it's also possible that your hints will be too blatant, at which point your reader will probably either A) Think ZOMG COOL or B) Feel insulted or C) Realize that it's obvious and wonder why you're being so hamfisted. The latter would come about if your story already IS allegory-oriented, I guess. And if it is, it should be able to work without any sort of "hint."

Hm... Maybe achieve meaning by not intentionally aiming for it. Anything can be an allegory of anything. If something is meaningful without being allegoric, then..?

ravravrav · 01-31-2006, 05:17 PM

One of my favourite stories of all time is 'Animal Farm' (the book not the 'film') - and I guess you could say it is allegorical. Understanding the meanings behind the symbols and motifs isnt necessarily a bad thing and doesn't dampen my enthusiasm for the story.

So give it a go.

Stewart · 02-01-2006, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kane

No story is complete with the first write.

John Fante's Dreams of Bunker Hill was.

Kane · 02-01-2006, 12:47 PM

Well, he dictated that story to his wife, so who knows what changed during the course of its writing? Don't be contradictory without a reason. Even if he dictated it from start to finish, without ever changing anything, it doesn't mean it was complete. It only means that he never went back and changed anything. All stories could improve with rewrites.