I'm tutoring a very bright but dyslexic boy in English at the moment and thought it would really help him if I made a hand-out with a list of literary terms he may need or come across in the next couple of years at school.
However, in the process of making this hand-out I've realised that I'm very confused when it comes to the difference between personification and anthropomorphism. Depending on where you look you seem to get conflicting answers. I've come across three different answers:
1. Some sites seem to say that, although there used to be a difference, the two words have become pretty much interchangable.
2. Some sites say that personification refers to inanimate objects whereas anthropomorphism refers to animals.
3. Other sites say that the difference is quite subtle. They seem to say that personification is when an object or animal is described as having human characteristics for the imagery invoked whereas anthropomorphism is when the writer makes an object or animal actually behave like a human. (E.g. Saying that a rabbit twitched its nose in contempt would be personification but Peter Rabbit is an instance of anthropomorphism.) Another example I came across was that if you call your car Betty this is personification but believing that it won't start because it's being stubborn is anthropomorphism.
Can anyone clarify this issue for me? I think that at school I was taught the second one but the prevailing oppinion on the web seems to be the third. If I'm confused, I dread to think what my poor tutee will make of it!