Handbook Entry Defining the Term "Allegory"
from Edwin Barton and Glenda Hudson
An allegory is a work of art intending to be meaningful on at least two levels of understanding: typically, a literal and an abstract (e.g., moral level).
Barton, Edwin J. and Glenda A. Hudson. A contemporary Guide to Literary Terms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. 6.