The butterfly’s dream is a famous Taoist allegory that has been passed down through the ages. It is a story about a man named Zhuangzi who dreamed he was a butterfly and upon waking up, he was unsure if he was a man who had just dreamt of being a butterfly or a butterfly now …
Examples of Allegories
The City of God is a philosophical treatise written by St. Augustine in the early 5th century. It is considered a masterpiece of Western culture and is a response to pagan claims that the sack of Rome in 410 CE was a result of the abolition of pagan worship by Christian emperors. The book explores …
Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Book of the Duchess” is a poem that is widely regarded as one of the most important works of medieval English literature. The poem was written in the late 14th century and tells the story of a knight who falls asleep and dreams of a hunt. The hunt becomes a metaphor for …
“The Pilgrim’s Regress” is a book of allegorical fiction by C.S. Lewis. It was published in 1933 and is considered to be Lewis’s first published work of prose fiction. The book charts the progress of a fictional character named John through a philosophical landscape in search of the Island of his desire. Lewis’s conversion to …
Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice is a novel written by James Branch Cabell and published in 1919. It tells the story of a pawnbroker and aspiring poet named Jurgen who embarks on a journey to find justice. Along the way, he encounters various mythical creatures and challenges, ultimately leading to a greater understanding of himself …
Mount Analogue is a classic allegorical adventure novel by the early 20th-century French novelist René Daumal. The novel describes an expedition undertaken by a group of mountaineers to travel to and climb the titular Mount Analogue, an enormous mountain on a remote island. Throughout the novel, the mountain serves as a symbol for the journey …
The Pilgrim’s Progress is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan, which was published in two parts in 1678 and 1684. The work is a symbolic vision of the good man’s pilgrimage through life. At one time second only to the Bible in popularity, The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most famous Christian allegory still in …
“The South” is a short story written by Jorge Luis Borges that has been analyzed and interpreted in various ways. Some have suggested that the story is an allegory for the history and identity of Argentina, while others have focused on the themes of isolation, identity, and transformation. The story follows the character Dahlmann, who …
“The Water of the Wondrous Isles” is a novel written by William Morris in 1896. The novel is a fantasy adventure story that follows the journey of a young woman named Birdalone as she navigates a series of strange and magical islands. Morris intended for the novel to be an allegory, using the story to …
“Under the Net” is a novel by Iris Murdoch that has gained popularity for its unique blend of philosophical and picaresque elements. The story follows the journey of Jake Donaghue, a young struggling writer, as he navigates through the streets of London and Europe in search of his elusive ideals. The novel’s mixture of humor, …