Welcome to Use Your Allusion!

Popular music is saturated with allusions to literary texts. This wiki is devoted to identifying such literary allusions and providing ELA teachers with resources for incorporating music in the classroom.

We encourage you to join us in this collaborative effort by adding fresh, new connections between literature and popular music or by revising the information that's already here. Given the nature of wikis, please recognize that this wiki will perpetually be a work in progress, so check back often for updates and inspiration!

While you're here, we also encourage you to offer some feedback on the content of the Use Your Allusion wiki. Generally, we're interested in hearing your thoughts on the site as a resource for educators to generate ideas, find inspiration, and take away supplemental materials for the ELA classroom. Let your voice be heard by utilizing the "Comments" option above. We look forward to hearing from you! 

Where Do I Go From Here?

Take a look in the Navigator to the right of the page to explore and contribute to a host of resources related to literary allusions in popular music.

The allusions are divided up into a series of categories:

- Allusions to Authors

- Allusions to Novels

- Allusions to Plays

- Allusions to Poems

- Allusions to Short Stories

- Allusions to Graphic Novels

Looking for a specific artist, author, or theme? Remember that wikis are searchable. Use the search tool in the upper-right corner of the page to assist you in your search.

2009 NCTE Annual Convention

Join us in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the 2009 NCTE Annual Convention, where we will be discussing the vast possibilities for connecting literature and popular culture as part of the panel session, "Contemporary Connections: Examining Literary Allusions in Popular Music and Reading Film as Text." The session will be held from 8:30 AM to 9:45 AM on Sunday, November 22, 2009.

An excerpt from the description of this session in the Convention Program reads:

Drawing upon the popularity of modern music with students, this session will explore how teachers can harness music to enliven traditional literary studies. Combined with 21st century technology, this session will also explore how the textual analysis of film can lend itself to a broader interpretation of literacy.

We look forward to seeing you in Philly!