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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 1
Explanation and Analysis—An Unfamiliar England:
An extended passage of visual imagery opens Chapter 1 of The Buried Giant, with the narrator describing the ancient landscape of England:
You would have searched a long time for the sort of winding lane or tranquil meadow for which England later became celebrated. There were instead miles of desolate, uncultivated land; here and there rough-hewn paths over craggy hills or bleak moorland [...] I am sorry to paint such a picture of our country at that time, but there you are.
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—A Familiar England:
In Chapter 3, Axl and Wistan speak with each other on the platform overlooking the Saxon village, and the description of their view is a significant instance of visual imagery:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The view before them that morning may not have differed so greatly from one to be had from the high windows of an English country house today. The two men would have seen, to their right, the valleyside coming down in regular green ridges, while far to their left, the opposite slope, covered with pine trees, would have appeared hazier, because more distant, as it merged with the outlines of the mountains on the horizon [...] And just where the sunlight went into shadow on the left bank of the river could be seen some remnants of a long-abandoned village.
Chapter 15
Explanation and Analysis—Querig's Appearance:
When the characters finally reach Querig's pit in Chapter 15, a long passage of visual imagery describes the dragon in surprising language:
Unlock with LitCharts A+As for the dragon, it was hardly clear at first she was alive. Her posture—prone, head twisted to one side, limbs outspread—might easily have resulted from her corpse being hurled into the pit from a height [...] Her skin, which should have appeared oiled and of a color not unlike bronze, was instead a yellowing white, reminiscent of the underside of certain fish [...] This movement, and the faintest rise and fall along the creature's backbone, were the only indicators that Querig was still alive.
