Possible help with "Allegorical Interpretation".

[magnum.arcanum]

See anything wrong with this definition of "allegory"?Allegory1.      A poem, play, picture, etc., in which the apparent meaning of the characters and events, are used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning.2.      Allegory is a “rhetorical device” in which characters or events in a literary, visual, or musical art form represent or symbolize ideas and concepts. Allegory has been used widely throughout the histories of all forms of art; a major reason for this is its immense power to illustrate complex ideas and concepts in ways that are easily digestible and tangible to its viewers, readers, or listeners. An allegory conveys its hidden message through symbolic figures, actions, imagery (the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things), and/or events. Allegory is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric; a rhetorical allegory is a demonstrative form of representation conveying meaning other than the words that are spoken.  As a literary device, an allegory in its most general sense is an extended metaphor (a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance).a.       Rhetoric –                                                   i.      In writing or speech, the undue use of exaggeration or display; bombast.  Bombast refers to pompous speech.  Being pompous means to impress with too much dignity, importance etc. in any particular occasion.                                                  ii.      The art or science of “all” specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse, including the figures of speech.                                              iii.      The study of the effective use of language.                                              iv.      The ability to use language effectively.                                                v.      The art of prose (the way something is said) in general as opposed to verse (e.g. lines of poetry).                                              vi.      The art of making persuasive speeches; oratory.                                            vii.      In classical oratory (skill or eloquence in public speaking) the art of influencing the thought and conduct of an audience.b.      Literary –                                                   i.      Pertaining to or of the nature of books and writings, especially those classed as literature; "literary history".                                                ii.      Pertaining to authorship; “literary style”.                                              iii.      Versed in or acquainted with literature; well-read.                                              iv.      Engaged in or having the profession of literature or writing: a literary man.                                                v.      Characterized by an excessive or affected display of learning; stilted (stiffly dignified or formal); pedantic (overly concerned with minute details or formalisms in order to appear more important).                                              vi.      Preferring books to actual experience; bookish (absorbed into books, rather than real life).3.      There are 3 types of allegory: classical, medieval, and modern.a.       Classical Allegory – An allegory is a figurative type of representation conveying a meaning other than the literal meaning. Fictions with several possible interpretations are not allegories in the true sense. Not every fiction with general application is an allegory.  Allegory is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric, but an allegory does not have to be expressed in language: it may be addressed to the eye, and is often found in realistic painting, sculpture or some other form of mimetic (characterized by, exhibiting, or of the nature of imitation or mimicry), or representative art.  The etymological meaning of the word is broader than the common use of the word. Though it is similar to other rhetorical comparisons, an allegory is sustained longer and more fully in its details than a metaphor, and appeals to imagination, while an analogy appeals to reason or logic. The fable or parable is a short allegory with one definite moral.  Since meaningful stories are nearly always applicable to larger issues, allegories may be read into many stories, sometimes distorting their author's overt meaning.b.      Medieval Allegory – Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe beyond and during the Middle Ages (encompassing the one thousand years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire (in about) AD 500 to the beginning of the Florentine Renaissance in the late 15th century). The literature of this time was composed of religious writings as well as secular works. Just as in modern literature, it is a complex and rich field of study, from the utterly sacred to the exuberantly profane, touching all points in-between. Because of the wide range of time and places, it is difficult to speak in general terms, without oversimplification - and thus the literature is best characterized by its place of origin and/or language, as well as its genre.  Since Latin was the language of the Roman Catholic Church, which dominated Western and Central Europe, and since the Church was virtually the only source of education, Latin was a common language for Medieval writings, even in some parts of Europe that were never Romanized. However, in Eastern Europe, the influence of the Eastern Roman Empire and the Eastern Orthodox Church made Greek and Old Church Slavonic the dominant written languages. The common people continued to use their respective vernaculars (native or indigenous languages). A few examples, such as the “Old English Beowulf”, the “Middle High German Nibelungenlied”, the “Medieval Greek Digenis Acritas” and the “Old French Chanson de Roland”, are well known to this day. Although the extant versions (in existence; still existing; not destroyed or lost) of these epics (a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or national history), are generally considered the works of individual (but anonymous) poets, there is no doubt that they are based on their peoples' older oral traditions. Celtic traditions have survived in the “lais of Marie de France” (The lais of Marie de France are a series of twelve short narrative Breton lais by the poet Marie de France. They are written in the Anglo-Norman and were probably composed in the late 12th century.  A Breton lai, also known as a narrative lay or simply a lay, is a form of medieval French and English romance literature. Lais are short (typically 600–1000 lines), rhymed tales of love and chivalry, often involving supernatural and fairy-world Celtic motifs.), “the Mabinogion” (The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions), and the “Arthurian cycles (another name for “The Matter of Britain”.  A name given collectively to the body of literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and its legendary kings, particularly King Arthur).  A notable amount of medieval literature is anonymous. This is not only due to the lack of documents from the period, but also due to an insane interpretation of the author's role, differing considerably from the interpretation of the term in use today. Medieval authors were often overawed i.e. restrained and subdued by Church narcs.  Also, by classical writers forced to work through them.  The Church Fathers retold and embellished stories they saw fit to publicize i.e. they censored them and passed them off as their own works.  This included most works.  Normally, they would claim they were handing down something from an actual auctor.  (An “auctor” is Latin for “author” or “originator”. The term is used in Scholasticism for a "renowned scholar").  From this point of view, the names of the individual authors seemed much less important, and that is why many important works were never attributed to any specific person.  During the Middle Ages, the Jewish population of Europe produced a number of so-called “classical” writers. Maimonides, born in Cordoba, Spain, and Rashi, born in Troyes, France, are two of the best-known and most influential of these Jewish authors.  While medieval literature makes use of many literary devices, allegory is so prominent in the medieval period as to deserve special mention. Much of medieval literature “relied on” allegory to convey the morals the author had in mind versus those dictated by jewism.  The representations of abstract qualities, events, and institutions are thick in much of the literature of this time.  In modern times the definition of “allegory” has been suppressed, i.e. its importance in literature has recently become covertly obscured through gradualistic propaganda.  (The principle or policy of achieving some goal by gradual, unnoticeable steps).   c.       Modern Allegory – Since meaningful stories are nearly always applicable to larger issues, allegories may be read into many stories which the author may not have been “allowed” to acknowledge.  This and other forms of “allegorical denial” is the result of criminal, suppressive, blatant conditioning schemes, dictated to today’s “known” writers.  These agenda’s involve, subliminal conditioning techniques, which often rely “heavily” on allegory – thus the need to invalidate its rich historical contributions especially in the modern day - thus blurring the line between allegory (a form of artistic expression) and subliminal programming, which seeks to do nothing other than invalidate and otherwise suppress public, allegorical, expression and understanding.  Which is ultimately a denial of literacy and true historical understanding.