Allegorising

Allegorising is the practice of creating or interpreting a narrative, artwork, or performance so that its surface terms stand for recognizable abstract ideas, moral qualities, or social and political forces. In an allegory, characters, events, and settings function as symbolic representations whose intended meaning lies beyond their literal description. The process can be intentional by the author or the result of critical interpretation, and it often serves to critique power structures, religious tenets, or ethical issues while disguising them in a coherent story.

In literature, allegorising involves sustained correspondences between the visible actions and the hidden meanings. It tends to yield a structured, didactic or multi-layered reading, though some works mix allegory with other devices such as satire or myth. In art and film, allegorical figures and motifs communicate complex ideas through personifications and motifs that audiences recognize as symbolic rather than literal.

Historically, allegory has deep roots in classical myths and medieval exegesis, where stories were read as vehicles of moral or spiritual instruction. In modern times, notable examples include George Orwell's Animal Farm, an overt political allegory of totalitarianism and revolution; and Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, read as a meditation on sin, guilt, and social hypocrisy.

Critics note that allegorising can illuminate or limit interpretation, depending on how tightly the surface narrative is integrated with the allegorical message.

See also: symbolism, metaphor, parable, dystopian fiction.