Pathetic Fallacy
Definition:
Pathetic fallacy is a type of literary device whereby the author ascribes the human feelings of one or more of his/her characters to non-human objects or nature or phenomena. It is a type of personification, and is known to occur more by accident and less on purpose.
Example:
The softly whistling teapot informed him it was time for breakfast.
Comments
5 comments postedI learned so much from this site and now i think i am ready for exams. Can't thankyou enough :)
If I were being picky I would say that the pathetic fallacy involves the word "inform". The sound of the teapots whistling can inform, but the subject, "teapot", can not itself "Inform anyone of anything, even if it is softly whistling.
"The soft whistling OF the teapot informed him it was etc" would not be a PF, but it sounds too passive, the kind of thing my English teachers always abhored.
When thunder represents a furious emotion, it shows that its has fury over the area. Especially the person who gave an example, his thesis is entirely correct. I am glad a teacher like me sees students like this one.
i agreed with the first comment that it seems like this example would be an extension of personification. whistling doesn't seem like it would be a reflection the characters', if you meant the softly whistling tea pot cause nothing else fits the definition. another fitting definition that would fit the word better would be the "silent trees" or "furious thunder stretched across the sky". Because the trees can't technically be silent, they never talked to begin with. Its just an extension of characters feelings and recognition of the solitude around them. Also thunder isn't actually furious.
It seems that this would just be an extension of personification, especially if used with a 1st person narrator
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