Symbolism

[burntpunk]

One element that I adore in literature is symbolism. Thomas Hardy had a riot with it, milking pathetic fallacy and theological items, Moby Dick is a layered warehouse of concepts and concepts, perhaps the most symbol-laden book ever. Recently, Pullman hatched a golden egg of a trilogy, called His Dark Materials, this horrorshow of a novel, allowed Big Phil to nurture his views of theology and the like, through the form of allegory.

What's your favourite use of symbolism? Let's have some detail boys and girls.

[arabian night]

I agree with you :) Symbolism has a major role in making literature interesting.

Moby Dick is a perfect example as you have mentioned. Other examples are the classical literature esp. Greek mythology. For example, Oedipus was lame since childhood and that symbolises his unstable life too. Another example would be Kate Chopin's The Awakening; the sea becomes a symbol of Edna's emotions where she drowns in.

I think it is a very interesting thing to analyse symbolism in a text.

Thank you

[kandaurov]

Funny you should create this thread right now: I've just read the 4-paged short story "The Fly", by Katherine Mansfield, and I genuinely think that it's one of the most powerful uses of symbolism I've seen in a long time.

As for largest amount of symbols and references in a work, I'd say Ulysses takes the cake. Couldn't read a sentence without self doubt ("now what's this supposed to stand for?")

[JBI]

Eliot's Wasteland, and Four Quartets, but mostly for symbolism the wasteland.

There are so many - The Nightingale representing the poet, and also the violated, in reference to Ovid, the Desert contrasted with the Garden, the binary of water and fire, the river Thames as a symbol if its own, the game of Chess, the Hyacinths, Bones, The Bell tower, and, most importantly, and probably the reason we read the Wasteland, The Unreal City, which is perhaps the greatest symbol of the 20th century.


Oh, and Baudelaire's symbolism is pretty much symbolism, as a movement and way of approaching literature, perfected.

[kelby_lake]

The Metamorphosis by Kafka is symbolic.

The lights in Gastby were good.

[burntpunk]

Thanks, I'll check out some of these badboys. ^^

[Jeremiah Jazzz]

Finnegans Wake by James Joyce! Even a mere letter can represent some higher idea.

[Dr. Hill]

The cross in Crime and Punishment, symbolizing his suffering, and his tiny apartment, symbolizing his seclusion.

[kelby_lake]

The Glass Menagerie!

[subterranean]

Caulfield's hunting cap symbolize his effort of trying to be distinctive and unique (J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye).

[Mopey Droney]

I think there's a difference between actions or objects having implications and them being actual symbols...

[kelby_lake]

For example, the glass in The Glass Menagerie is symbolic of Laura's dreams, very fragile and very obvious.

Things really have to be symbolic of an abstract noun for them to be symbols.