Political Allegory

Abstract

This chapter explores how allegory has been used for political purposes in modern literature. Political allegorists may use this indirect genre to critique totalitarian societies thanks to its ability to conceal and reveal referents simultaneously in our minds. By writing allegories, authors such as George Orwell and Arthur Miller could also establish plausible deniability to try to avoid censorship. As I explain in this chapter, indirect attacks via allegory may be as forceful as direct attacks thanks to readers who create in their minds what cognitive linguists call ‘conceptual integrations’. This helps explain how readers understand Animal Farm, The Crucible, and other works of literature that use allegory as a tool for political critique.