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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 Nightingale
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Madam Allard's Office:
In Chapter 4 of The Nightingale, readers meet the novel's second primary character and sister of Vianne Mauriac, Isabelle Rossignol. In June of 1940 Isabelle attends a French ettiquette school for ladies and feels immense frustration over the expectation that her sex must learn arbitrary social conventions instead of helping with war efforts. She soon encounters the school's head, Madam Allard, whose office setting Hannah details with substantial imagery:
Madam Allard sat behind a gilt-trimmed mahogany writing desk. Medieval tapestries hung from the stone walls of the room and an arched, leaded-glass window overlooked gardens so sculpted they were more art than nature. Even birds rarely landed here; no doubt they sensed the stifling atmosphere and flew on.
Related Themes:
Chapter 35
Explanation and Analysis—Carriveau Destroyed:
As World War II continues and Vianne remains at her house in rural France, she begins to notice how the landscape becomes destroyed along with the society she once knew. Bombings have destroyed the infrastructure, and what was once a peaceful, idyllic home is no longer. Towards the end of The Nightingale, Hannah uses heightened imagery to establish the effect of war on every facet of society, even the natural landscape:
Unlock with LitCharts A+She paused at the blacked-out window. Beyond it lay fields destroyed by incendiary bombs; trees broken in half, many of them still smoldering, gates and chimneys broken. An apocalyptic landscape.
Related Themes:
