Allegory and Phenomenology
Brenda Machosky
The Oxford Handbook of Allegory June 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192894359.013.0028 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that allegory is fundamentally linked to phenomenology because it structures how appearances are brought into view, and that this structure underlies how Plato, Heidegger, and Derrida make claims about language within language. Proposes that allegory's simultaneous revealing and concealing also characterizes contemporary Aboriginal Australian literature's expression of a two-world existence founded on Dreaming/Law/Lore. |
Abstract
Abstract: This chapter argues that allegory, as a structure that supports appearances, has a fundamental connection to phenomenology, the study of appearances. By analysing a foundational philosophical text, Plato’s Republic, and the appearance of the ideal world in the ‘allegory of the cave’, the essay shows that allegory phenomenalizes the power of language to bring worlds into appearance in philosophy as well as in literature. Further analysis includes Heidegger’s late work on language, art, and Unscheinbaren and Derrida’s focus on literature that is a critical experience of itself. The structure of allegory proves fundamental for each philosopher to make his case about language in language. The chapter concludes with a brief analysis of how allegory applies to contemporary work of literature by Aboriginal writers of Australia, who phenomenalize their truth in literature, their complex two-world existence founded on Dreaming/Law/Lore, both revealing and keeping secret, a seemingly universal characteristic of allegory.
Comparable studies
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|---|---|---|---|
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| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |