Reading Fiction
When the weather seems to feel: reading the pathetic fallacy
When a landscape seems to share a character’s feelings, look closely at the narration. Pathetic fallacy can reveal mood, perspective or a deliberate mismatch.
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Reading Poetry
A dramatic monologue lets a speaker reveal more than they intend
Read a dramatic monologue by listening for the speaker, the silent audience and the details that escape the speaker’s intended story.
Reading Poetry
Hypallage moves a description to an unexpected neighbour
Hypallage shifts a description to an unexpected word. Try a close-reading exercise that shows how a transferred epithet can change the atmosphere of a sentence.
Reading Poetry
Synecdoche: when one small part stands for a larger whole
Synecdoche lets a part stand for a whole. Use a few original examples to see how the choice of detail can change a sentence’s emphasis and tone.
Reading Poetry
An ekphrastic poem can answer a painting instead of simply describing it
An ekphrastic poem does more than describe an artwork. Try reading for the speaker, the imagined moment and the details the poet chooses to leave out.
Reading Fiction
Zeugma lets one verb pull a sentence in two directions
Zeugma lets one word govern several parts of a sentence, sometimes in different senses. Try an original example and see when the turn adds meaning.