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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
Key Examples in Emma
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Harriet:
Near the beginning of the novel, Austen uses detailed imagery to describe Harriet to the readers (note that “a fine bloom” is a reference to Harriet having a rosy complexion):
She was a very pretty girl, and her beauty happened to be of a sort which Emma particularly admired. She was short, plump and fair, with a fine bloom, blue eyes, light hair, regular features, and a look of great sweetness.
Related Themes:
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—Overcharged Sky:
As Emma is on her way to a Christmas Eve dinner party at the Westons’ near the beginning of the novel, she uses imagery to describe the weather and sky:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The cold, however, was severe; and by the time the second carriage was in motion, a few flakes of snow were finding their way down, and the sky had the appearance of being so overcharged as to want only a milder air to produce a very white world in a very short time.
Related Themes:
Chapter 48
Explanation and Analysis—Cruel Sights:
Near the end of the novel, Emma is feeling fraught about Knightley possibly having feelings for Harriet rather than for her, and she's also feeling regretful about how she misjudged and mistreated Jane in the past. The narrator uses imagery to describe the setting, which parallels Emma's emotions:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The evening of this day was very long, and melancholy, at Hartfield. The weather added what it could of gloom. A cold stormy rain set in, and nothing of July appeared but in the trees and shrubs, which the wind was despoiling, and the length of the day, which only made such cruel sights the longer visible.
Related Themes:
