Literary notes about figurative (AI summary)
In literature, "figurative" describes language that goes beyond the literal, using metaphor and symbolism to evoke deeper meanings and emotions. Authors employ figurative expressions to transform simple descriptions into rich, layered imagery—whether by alluding to cultural or mythic ideas ([1], [2]) or by using indirect language to soften assertions and elicit subtle interpretations ([3], [4]). This approach allows writers to imply concepts without stating them outright, as seen in passages that compare feelings, actions, or settings to symbolic analogs ([5], [6]). By blending the literal with the imaginative, figurative language creates a dynamic interplay between surface meaning and underlying significance, enhancing both narrative depth and reader engagement ([7], [8]).
- Al′legory, a figurative representation in which the signs (words or forms) signify something besides their literal or direct meaning.
— from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various - [A figurative expression for an eager longing desire, used by Udall and by Spenser.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys - Figurative and indirect language has suggestive force , because it does not make statements that can be directly disputed.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein - In like manner train yourself in the use of figurative language.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein - The question now arises, How are we to determine when expressions are to be interpreted literally and when they are figurative?
— from Common Sense Applied to Religion; Or, The Bible and the People by Catharine Esther Beecher - By implying a conclusion in indirect or figurative language it is often asserted most forcefully.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein - In reply to this, he made use of the figurative expression—which has something Eastern about it—that he had never seen the colour of my money.
— from Bleak House by Charles Dickens - “They will yet find the Huron a singing-bird,” said Duncan, endeavoring to adopt the figurative language of the natives.
— from The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper
