Imagery

Imagery is an important literary device for a writer to use. If you are assigned a research paper on imagery, you will need to fully understand what imagery is. In simplest terms, imagery is when an author uses words to create "mental pictures" in one's mind. Imagery allows the reader to get a better sense of what the author is trying to convey. Imagery research papers have been written by literature experts. We can produce a custom written project following your guidelines.

Imagery is not limited to visual perceptions. Imagery can include word plays that evoke other senses and sensations, such as:

• Taste or Olfactory Reactions
• Guttural Reactions
• Auditory Sensations
• Tactile Experiences
• Sensations of Movement

Many great works of literature invoke imagery to convey the texture of a story. One of the best examples of imagery as a literary tool is William Shakespeare's "Venus and Adonis". The imagery that Shakespeare employs in "Venus and Adonis" is a hallmark of the qualities that have so endeared the poem to both Elizabethan and contemporary readers. The poem is rife with strikingly original literal and figurative renderings of the natural surroundings, the clashing would-be lovers themselves, and all sense perceptions in general, all of which lend themselves to the lush, lubricious quality associated with the piece as a whole.

Indeed, it was Shakespeare's facility with imagery and metaphor in "Venus and Adonis" and his uncanny ability to transpose sense perceptions of the natural surroundings into barely veiled erotic imagery in "Venus and Adonis" that began to establish his reputation as a literary master. To bolster the frenzied eroticism of Venus and the haughty indifference of Adonis, Shakespeare manipulates the perception of the natural world as a means of mirroring the extremes of emotion and sensation experienced by the poem's conflicted principal characters.

When exploring topics for research papers in literature, never forget the importance of imagery and the fact that every story uses imagery to convey more than the literal. A professor will be very impressed with your command of imagery. Recognizing what an author uses as imagery is easy if you keep the following in mind: Imagery evokes feelings or sensations. If a sentence evokes a feeling or sensation in you that affects one of the following sensory perceptions, it is imagery at work:

• Taste
• Sight (Darkness, Lightness, Color, etc)
• Touch (Soft, Rough, etc)
• Smell (Rancid, Sour, etc)
• Hearing (Piercing Scream, Whistling Wind, etc)

The uses of imagery are many and you will recognize them in virtually every page of a story. When researching imagery, remember to look for emotion and sensation, then know that the author has effectively evoked a "mental picture" and done his/her job of creating great literature.

Imagery and the Reader

One of the greatest traits of any writer is the ability to use imagery. By offering the reader a visual image, a skilled writer is able to show what he or she is talking about; the writer does not have to merely tell the reader. The result of a skilled use of imagery is that there is a greater sense of depth provided for the reader, allowing them to make a greater connection to the literary work. Imagery can be found in nearly any written work, but is especially prominent in poetry. This writing format is often much shorter than prose, and relies on quality descriptions and language choices to provide the reader with the same understanding as would be found in lengthier pieces.

Some of the best examples of imagery can be found in Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare. The point of the sonnet is to describe to the reader that his lover is not the most beautiful, congenial, or sociable women in the world, but that he loves her nonetheless. However, rather than merely tell this to the reader, Shakespeare uses imagery to describe her character, her appearance, and his love for her. "Coral is far more red than her lips' red," he writes. While he could have simply stated that her lips lack notable color, this use of imagery provides a greater sense of depth for the reader. "I grant I never saw a goddess go; my mistress when she walks treads on the ground," he writes. While it would have been suitable to state that his lover lacks any sort of otherworldly beauty or grace, the imagery in these two lines creates more meaning and understanding for the reader, the primary point of imagery.