What is 'pathetic fallacy' in literary analysis?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Attributing human emotions and moods to nature or inanimate surroundings to mirror character psychology
- Step 1: Trace the origin of the term: coined by Victorian art critic John Ruskin in Modern Painters (1856), pathetic fallacy is a specific form of personification often used in Romantic and Victorian literature.
- Step 2: Define its literary purpose: it describes attributing human emotions and moods to nature or inanimate surroundings to mirror character psychology, such as violent storms representing turmoil or weeping rain reflecting grief.
Answer
Attributing human emotions and moods to nature or inanimate surroundings to mirror character psychology.
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