“The pianist was playing a delicious tune”. It’s actually a neurological condition, but in the context of literary description, synaesthesia would be something like – This term refers to the intermingling of senses. While we’re on sensory imagery – a brief note on synaesthesia. Subjective / organic imagery (emotions and bodily sensations, e.g. Kinaesthetic imagery (movement and action)
What types of imagery are there?Ĭolour imagery is perhaps the most obvious sort of imagery – there are, of course, others. Notice that it’s a group of adjectives which creates the imagery, so had it just been a phrase or two, that wouldn’t suffice as ‘imagery’ in literary analysis. This, then, is an example of colour imagery. Words such as “golden”, “azure”, “purplish”, “yellow”, “green” and “rainbow” come together to depict a morning landscape by sweeping it with a verbal palette. What is the common ‘group of words’ that stands out from this description? As the yellow rays beamed across the green pastures below, we saw a magical fusion of sea, land and sky – a rainbow triptych of wonder. The sun, with its golden ridges, popped its head above the distant azure, which seemed to wear a purplish gloss from momentary refraction.
To illustrate, let’s read the passage below –
So, unlike simile, metaphor, personification etc., you can’t have ‘ one imagery’ (or two, for that matter), because imagery is a collective term created by a series of thematically similar descriptions.
In short, diction – a writer’s choice of words – is the common denominator of all imagery. So… does imagery refer to the use of figurative language? Or figurative and literal language?Īnd can “descriptive language” mean both figurative and literal language? Also, what’s up with the reference to metaphors and similes in the definition of imagery – aren’t they all separate devices…?!īefore we confuse ourselves even further, just remember this: Imagery is just an umbrella term for groups of descriptions which relate to a similar idea. “Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses While imagery can and often does benefit from the use of figurative language such as metaphors and similes, imagery can also be written without using any figurative language at all.” (LitCharts) “Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.” () To make matters more confusing, different sources seem to have their own views on what constitutes imagery, as below – – which, for our purposes, is almost utterly useless (I’ve got mad love for lexicographers, but they really should step their game up when it comes to literary-specific definitions, as I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this blog). The use of words or pictures in books, movies, paintings etc to describe ideas or situations Imagery, as defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary, means – It’s a term that means everything and nothing at all, so it’s about time we clarified what it actually means, and how we can use it accurately in literary analysis. One of the most confusing literary devices is also one of the most frequently seen in literature – imagery.