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Idioms
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
Part 1, Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—White Stone:
As he introduces her physical appearance to the reader, John employs tactile imagery to describe Leonora’s air of stony chill and his apparent lack of sexual attraction towards her:
But I am sure I never had the beginnings of a trace of what is called the sex instinct towards her. And I suppose—no I am certain that she never had it towards me. As far as I am concerned I think it was those white shoulders that did it. I seemed to feel when I looked at them that, if ever I should press my lips upon them that they would be slightly cold—not icily, not without a touch of human heat, but, as they say of baths, with the chill off. I seemed to feel chilled at the end of my lips when I looked at her […]
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Explanation and Analysis—Wedgwood Vase:
In this early passage, the narrator utilizes both visual imagery and allusion to describe his discomfort at seeing Leonora in her more formal evening attire:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I never thought that Leonora looked her best in evening dress. She seemed to get it too clearly cut, there was no ruffling. She always affected black and her shoulders were too classical. She seemed to stand out of her corsage as a white marble bust might out of a black Wedgwood vase. I don’t know.
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Part 3, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Towering and Feathering:
In this passage, Ford uses visual imagery to amplify the drama of Florence catching Edward and Nancy together in a moonlit park. Describing her horror as she spies on them, the narrator tells the reader:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Anyhow, there you have the picture, the immensely tall trees, elms most of them, towering and feathering away up into the black mistiness that trees seem to gather about them at night; the silhouettes of those two upon the seat; the beams of light coming from the Casino, the woman all in black peeping with fear behind the tree-trunk.
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Explanation and Analysis—Phosphorescent Fish:
At the beginning of Book 3, the narrator uses visual imagery and a simile to describe a pivotal moment that may have led to Florence's suicide. John describes her catching Edward and Nancy behaving amorously in a park at night:
Unlock with LitCharts A+It was a very black night and the girl was dressed in cream-coloured muslin, that must have glimmered under the tall trees of the dark park like a phosphorescent fish in a cupboard. You couldn’t have had a better beacon.
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Part 3, Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Lasting Wheal:
When they’re constantly in close proximity toward the end of the novel, Leonora’s hatred of Nancy becomes almost impossible to conceal. The narrator employs tactile imagery and metaphor to depict Leonora's desire for revenge against Nancy for her adultery with Edward.
Unlock with LitCharts A+Yes, Leonora wished to bring her riding-whip down on Nancy’s young face. She imagined the pleasure she would feel when the lash fell across those queer features; the pleasure she would feel at drawing the handle at the same moment toward her, so as to cut deep into the flesh and to leave a lasting wheal. Well, she left a lasting wheal, and her words cut deeply into the girl’s mind […]
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