People who write or interpret allegories, which are stories where characters and events represent abstract ideas or moral lessons.
From Greek 'allegoria' (speaking otherwise) combining 'allos' (other) and 'agoreuein' (to speak in the assembly). The suffix '-ist' denotes a person who practices or specializes in something. The term emerged in medieval literary criticism.
Medieval scholars who were allegorists saw hidden meanings everywhere—they'd read the Bible and find dozens of spiritual lessons in every sentence! This practice shaped how people understood literature for centuries, teaching readers to look for deeper meanings beyond the surface story.
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