Dark Conceit: the Making of Allegory Allegory and its use by Melville, Hawthorne, James, Lawrence, Joyce and Kafka by Edwin Honig soft cover in used condition "Dark Conceit is the first book in English to treat allegory seriously in terms of literary creation and literary criticism. Mr. Honig's thesis is that literary allegory cannot be dismissed as a mere stuffing to fill out a preconceived theory that opposes a realistic view of life. On the contrary, allegory, which is symbolic in method, is realistic in aim. Its very power lies in its giving proof to the physical and ethical realities of life objectively conceived." #vintage #books #allegory #gift #literature