Motif
Definition:
The literary device ‘motif’ is any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature. Using a motif refers to the repetition of a specific theme dominating the literary work. Motifs are very noticeable and play a significant role in defining the nature of the story, the course of events and the very fabric of the literary piece.
Example:
In all the famed fairytales, the motif of a ‘handsome prince’ falling in love with a ‘damsel in distress’ and the two being bothered by a wicked step-mother/ evil witch/ beast and finally conquering all and living ‘happily ever after’ is a common motif.
Another common motif is the simple, pretty peasant girl or girl from a modest background in fairytales discovering that she is actually a royal or noble by the end of the tale.
Comments
4 comments posted'Motif' the term itself is a revealing enough entity to show the style of a particular work or an artistic cult sustains through the fabric telling or bringing home to a meaning of the entire work-JOURNEY MOTIF is the chief chosen theme in the novels of Amitav Ghose where "self-exploration via journey(inside or outside of the soul) can be realized on the dais of Motif...NITESH
Good question.
A motif can be almost anything, a person, an object, a color, a mood that is repeated within a work. Blood could be a motif. or the color blue. Or cowboys. A motif could be used to establish a mood, a theme, or symbolic meaning.
An archetype is usually some kind or form of person that is repeated throughout literature. The handsome prince is a recurring kind of person across stories, so he is an archetype. He represents a certain kind of person, or quality, or element of the human spirit.
So the handsome prince could function as both.
So im guessing that Motifs' also can be used in other forms of literature or writing, like a catch-phrase being said at the end of every other stanza in poetry?
Whats the difference?
Post new comment