Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2006
Publication Title
Orbis Litterarum
Volume
62
Issue
2
First Page
160
Last Page
179
ISSN
0105-7150
DOI
10.1111/j.1600-0730.2006.00853.x
Keywords
allusion, T.S. Eliot, Baz Luhrmann, Moulin Rouge, Waste Land, film, poetry, modernism, intertextuality
Abstract
Allusion is usually considered a literary technique, but relatively little attention has been paid to the notion of allusion as a literary form. In this essay, I attempt to describe the allusive form based on two prominent examples, T. S. Eliot’s Waste Land and Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! Though radically different, the two works embody distinguishing characteristics of the allusive form. These are intertextuality, or a dependence upon outside sources for sense and significance; heightened and self-conscious artificiality; a confrontational attitude toward the audience; elitism, based on the exclusivity of allusions; appropriation of multiple cultures; and pervasive anachronism. Though prone to numerous failures, the allusive form allows the creation of a unique dialogue between artist and audience, as well as a precarious simultaneity of past, present, and future.
Recommended Citation
Magedanz, Stacy, "Allusion as Form: The Waste Land and Moulin Rouge!" (2006). Library Faculty Publications & Presentations. 14.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/library-publications/14
Comments
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Magedanz, Stacy. "Allusion as Form: The Waste Land and Moulin Rouge!" Orbis Litterarum: International Review of Literary Studies, 61.2 (2006): 160-179, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0730.2006.00853.x/abstract. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.