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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
Key Examples in The Mayor of Casterbridge
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—A Dark Appearance:
Hardy often describes Henchard's eyes as being dark and intense, imagery that supports the idea that however "bland" or normal his outward appearance may seem, his interior life is shadowy and profound. When he first meets Elizabeth-Jane in person in Chapter 10, not knowing about their alleged relationship, she observes this darkness without knowing anything else about him:
His dark pupils—which always seemed to have a red spark of light in them, though this could hardly be a physical fact—turned indifferently round under his dark brows until they rested on her figure. “Now then, what is it, my young woman?” he said blandly.
Related Themes:
Chapter 33
Explanation and Analysis—A Flushed Face:
Throughout the book, Michael Henchard’s body is associated to varying degrees with images of redness, flushing, and blood, particularly in his face. Hardy does this because the color is traditionally associated with lust and anger, but also for another important reason that would have been more evident to a Victorian audience. At the beginning of Chapter 33, when Henchard is found to be publicly carousing, his face has taken on the tell-tale hue of alcoholism:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The flush upon his face proclaimed at once that the vow of twenty-one years had lapsed, and the era of recklessness begun anew.
Related Themes:
