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Hyperbole
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—The Air in Venice :
In a passage suffused with pungent imagery, the narrator foreshadows Aschenbach's later death amid the cholera epidemic in Venice. As Aschenbach walks around the crowded streets of Venice, the narrator states that:
The narrow streets were unpleasantly sultry; the air was so thick that the odors emanating from homes, stores and cookshops—olive oil, clouds of perfume and many others—hung like wisps of smoke without being dispersed [...] The longer he walked, the more tormented he became by the horrible state of health that the sea air can cause in conjunction with the scirocco, a state of excitement and prostration at the same time. He broke out into a distressing sweat. His eyes no longer performed their duty, he felt a tightness in his chest, he was feverish, the blood pounded in his head.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Entering Venice :
In a passage suffused with vivid imagery, the narrator uses a simile that compares entering Venice by train to "entering a palace through the back door." As the ship grows closer to Venice and the view of the city becomes clearer to Aschenbach, the narrator states:
Unlock with LitCharts A+And so he saw it again, that most amazing landing place, that dazzling composition of fantastic architecture which the Republic presented to the reverent gaze of approaching seafarers: the weightless splendor of the Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, the columns with lion and saint on the bank, the ostentatiously projecting side of the fairy-tale temple, the view through to the gateway and the giant clock; and, as he gazed, he reflected that to arrive by land, at the Venice railroad station, was like entering a palace through a back door [...]
Related Themes:
