An anecdote is a literary device that can be used to teach a moral or contribute to demonstrating the wider themes of a story. A rather traditional approach to the anecdote is the parable. It features frequently in the Bible as a “teaching device” by Jesus himself. One of the most famous of these parables is the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:14-30):
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
The parable or anecdote teaches a rather harsh lesson — Always be prepared for the Kingdom of Heaven. Modern Christians have interpreted this as living life every day as if the Second Coming (or the Kingdom of Heaven) were tomorrow. The lamp and the oil symbolize the need to be vigilant. On the other hand, the wedding and bridegrooms represent the reward of Heaven for being an “upright” Christian.
We can say that this anecdote or parable teaches a moral through a story. In this article, I briefly describe an anecdote and provide examples of it being used as an effective literary device in works of literature such as The Twelfth Night.
What is an anecdote?
Ancetodes are brief stories told by characters or the narrator that help prove a certain point. They can add, reinforce, or extend the meaning of the story.
Anecdotes can be allegorical or symbolic in contexts. They can contribute to the overall theme of the story or they could be used to prove a moral point that stands alone. In the example of the Biblical parable in the introduction of the article, the anecdote is a stand-alone story that requires no further context or explanation.
Anecdotes are not only used in fictional stories. They are also used in other literary contexts such as literary criticism. Often, the point of using it in this context is to make a clever point that shows off the learning or familiarity of the author with a subject.
Examples of anecdotes
Let’s look at a few anecdotes used for literary effect. The first is from a literary essay by Edgar Allan Poe.
1. Edgar Allan Poe, “About Critics and Criticism” (1850):
Boccalini, in his “Advertisements from Parnassus,” tells us that Zoilus once presented Apollo with a very caustic review of a very admirable poem. The god asked to be shown the beauties of the work; but the critic replied that he troubled himself only about the errors. Hereupon Apollo gave him a sack of unwinnowed wheat — bidding him pick out all the chaff for his pains. Now this fable does very well as a hit at the critics; but I am by no means sure that the Deity was in the right.
Poe here has borrowed an anecdote from a work known as “Advertisements from Parnassus.” The original anecdote tries to prove the point that literary criticism should focus as much on the merits of a work as as it does on errors.
Poe turns the anecdote upside down and says that the critic should focus on errors at the expense of merit. You don’t necessarily have to agree with him. In fact, Poe is using an anecdote to be deliberately contrarian.
2. Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 4
Another example of an anecdote is from The Twelfth Night. Let’s take a look at the direct quote:
ORSINO
What dost thou know?
VIOLA
Too well what love women to men may owe.
In faith, they are as true of heart as we.
My father had a daughter loved a man
As it might be, perhaps, were I a woman,
I should your Lordship.
ORSINO
And what’s her history?
VIOLA
A blank, my lord. She never told her love,
But let concealment, like a worm i’ th’ bud,
Feed on her damask cheek. She pined in thought,
And with a green and yellow melancholy
She sat like Patience on a monument,
Smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed?
We men may say more, swear more, but indeed
Our shows are more than will; for still we prove
Much in our vows but little in our love.
ORSINO
But died thy sister of her love, my boy?
VIOLA
I am all the daughters of my father’s house,
And all the brothers, too—and yet I know not.
What’s going on here? Viola is a woman disguised as a page who works for Orsino. Orsino is a nobleman who is in love when a woman named Olivia, who doesn’t love him back. However, Viola is herself secretly in love with Orsino.
She tries to convince him that perhaps he should move on from Olivia and asks him what would he do if a woman loved him as much as he loves Olivia and doesn’t love her back. Orsino responds that no woman could love as much as he does.
Viola then tells the story of a sister who fell in love with a man who did not have her love returned. Of course, Viola is really speaking about herself. The anecdote allows her to express her feelings for Orsino without giving herself away.
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3. Terry Gilliam, The Fisher King (1991):
Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King is named after the legendary Medieval tale. The movie can be described as a mock epic of a grand tale. However, it makes one reference to the actual tale that sums up the theme of the story:
The anecdote as told by Robin Williams has two purposes. First, it references the actual tale that teh whole movie is based upon. Second, it ties in the medieval tale with the modern interpretation of the tale in the movie.
The Robin Williams version of the tale teaches that human connection — free from the trappings of status and class — more than anything else can help solve the human ailment of loneliness and solitude.
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2025, January 17). The Anectode as a Literary Device. EminentEdit. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/anectode |
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