allegorization
Making meaning symbolic
Allegorization is the process of interpreting something as allegory or transforming it into one.
Biblical scholars practiced allegorization when they read Old Testament stories as symbolic of Christian truths.
A writer might engage in allegorization by turning a simple tale into a vehicle for moral instruction: The allegorization of the fable made its political message unmistakable.
Moral tale with animals
- parableInstructive allegorical narrative
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- morality playDrama teaching ethical lessons
- beast fableMoral tale with animals
odyssey · epic · romance · spiritual journey · cautionary tale · exemplum · apologue
Representational sign or device
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- figurationGiving form to concepts
- typologyClassification by shared traits
- iconographyAnalysis of artistic symbols
representation · signification · archetype · symbol · symbolic · emblematic · abstraction · virtue
Implied identity comparison
- extended metaphorFigurative comparison throughout text
- analogyExplanatory likeness between things
- figurativeRepresenting through imagery
- conceitExaggerated self-admiration
trope · vehicle · tenor · allusion · metonymy · synecdoche · figurative language · double meaning
Critical textual interpretation
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- decodingExtracting meaning from symbols
- readingInterpreting written text
- explicationDetailed interpretive analysis
elucidation · commentary · gloss · analysis · deconstruction · contextualization · annotation · exposition
fable
Moral tale with animals
- parableInstructive allegorical narrative
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- morality playDrama teaching ethical lessons
beast fable · odyssey · epic · romance · spiritual journey · cautionary tale · exemplum · apologue
emblem
Representational sign or device
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- figurationGiving form to concepts
- typologyClassification by shared traits
iconography · representation · signification · archetype · symbol · symbolic · emblematic · abstraction · virtue · vice
metaphor
Implied identity comparison
- extended metaphorFigurative comparison throughout text
- analogyExplanatory likeness between things
- figurativeRepresenting through imagery
conceit · trope · vehicle · tenor · allusion · metonymy · synecdoche · figurative language · double meaning · layered meaning
exegesis
Critical textual interpretation
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- decodingExtracting meaning from symbols
- readingInterpreting written text
explication · elucidation · commentary · gloss · analysis · deconstruction · contextualization · annotation · exposition · paraphrase
allegorizationliteral reading
Exact textual meaning
literal interpretation · literalism · demythologization · textualism
allegorizationplain speech
Unembellished verbal expression
documentary style · reportage · literalization · naturalism · realism
allegory, allegorical, allegorize, allegorically, allegorist, allegorized, allegorizes, alleger, allegoric