I don't understand what a literature allusion is. Can someone please explain it to me?

readability="10">

An allusion is a passing
reference, without explicit identification, to historical or fictional characters,
places or events or to other works that the writer assumes the reader would recognize. -
(NTC's Dictionary of Literary
Terms)

Allusions
may refer to mythology, religion,art, literature and history. An allusion
suggests always a connotative meaning. Allusion conveys meaning concisely
or indirectly. Often in poetry, an allusion plays a greater role in reader's response
and understanding.

Literary
allusions are used to refer to certain literary characters or texts or even famous
speeches that could be generally identified; some are put to use aimed at specific
"coterie" (M. H. Abrams). Allusions from Shakespeare are most commonly
used.

Examples will make the idea
clearer:

Example 1:

In T. S.
Eliot's "The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock", there is a line where Prufrock utters-
"No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; / Am an attendant
lord.../Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse../ Almost ridiculous- /
Almost, at times, the Fool." Here, the speaker who is a very confused, indecisive and
alienated person, compares himself with Polonius of
Hamlet who appears to be a spineless, passive and
stupid character, more cowardly than Hamlet. Through this reference to the attendant
lord, Polonius, Prufrock conveys his mental state easily. This is an allusion. Since it
refers to a literary character, it is a literary
allusion.

Example 2:

Robert
frost's famous poem "Out, Out-" is about an accidental
death of a young boy; the theme is unpredictability of life. The title of the poem is an
allusion to the key phrase of a legendary Shakespearean speech in
Macbeth: "Out, out, brief candle" (Act v, scene
v). In that scene, Macbeth mourns as his wife dies thinking of the
uncertainty and meaninglessness of life. This is also a literary allusion for it refers
to a famous literary speech.

Similarly, if the
allusions would have referred to historical or mythological or biblical work, they would
have been historical or mythological or biblical allusions as
well.