What is pathetic fallacy and why is it used ?

Pathetic fallacy is a specific kind of personification - that is, attributing human traits to abstract concepts or non-human entities  - which relates to the connection between a human's internal emotions and their external circumstances. Often, this takes the form of a character's feelings being reflected in their surroundings, such as the weather. This has a long history of being used in storytelling. For example, in the Anglo-Saxon poem The Wanderer, the main character is exiled and lonely, and the rough, cold seas he sails in reflects that. 

It's common in the work of the Romantic poets (like Keats and Wordsworth) but there are a lot of good examples of it across literary forms and periods. For example, in Jane Eyre, Rochester proposes to Jane under a chestnut tree - the next day, there is a terrible storm and a lightning bolt splinters the tree in half. This reflects the uncertain state of their union, and foreshadows their later troubles, too.

AB
Answered by Alice B. English Literature tutor

6751 Views

See similar English Literature A Level tutors

Related English Literature A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is a possible approach to analysing unseen texts?


How do I approach Shakespeare?


What is the meaning of the word 'significance' in essay questions?


“This race and this country and this life produced me, he said. I shall express myself as I am." How is the theme of ‘coming of age’ presented in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences