Allegory as a mode of temporality in 20th century humanities: Anachronism as a cultural practice

Abstract

The article considers 20th century philosophers' and literary critics' focus on the problem of allegory and the connection of this topic with the problem of temporality. The article concentrates on the conceptions of Walter Benjamin and Gilles Deleuze; texts by E. Bloch, R. Barthes, P. De Man, F. Ankersmit, G. Didi-Huberman, M.A. Holly, and others are analyzed in order to determine both their theoretical context and subsequent development. We also examine the interconnection between the concepts of allegory as temporality and empirical materials from the Renaissance, baroque and romanticism, which were frequently used for the conceptualizations. The main conclusion of the article is that anachronism as the main mechanism and practice in allegory, interpreted as a literary experience which overcomes temporal linearity, turns out to be the most important common point for different conceptualizations of allegory as a mode of temporality.