literature imagery definition

Imagery Definition

What is imagery? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages the senses of touch, movement, and hearing: "I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend. / And I keep hearing from the cellar bin / The rumbling sound / Of load on load of apples coming in."

Some additional key details about imagery:

  • Though imagery contains the word "image," it does not only refer to descriptive language that appeals to the sense of sight. Imagery includes language that appeals to all of the human senses, including sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.
  • While imagery can and often does benefit from the use of figurative language such as metaphors and similes, imagery can also be written without using any figurative language at all.

Imagery Pronunciation

Here's how to pronounce imagery: im -ij-ree

Types of Imagery

There are five main types of imagery, each related to one of the human senses:

  • Visual imagery (sight)
  • Auditory imagery (hearing)
  • Olfactory imagery (smell)
  • Gustatory imagery (taste)
  • Tactile imagery (touch)

Some people may also argue that imagery can be kinesthetic (related to movement) or organic (related to sensations within the body). Writers may focus descriptions in a particular passage on primarily one type of imagery, or multiple types of imagery.

Imagery and Figurative Language

Many people (and websites) confuse the relationship between imagery and figurative language. Usually this confusion involves one of two things:

  • Describing imagery as a type of figurative language.
  • Describing imagery as the use of figurative language to create descriptions that engage the physical senses.

Both are wrong.

A Quick Definition of Figurative Language

Figurative language is language that creates a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation of the words. For instance, the phrase "you are my sunshine" is figurative language (a metaphor , to be precise). It's not literally saying that you are a beam of light from the sun, but rather is creating an association between "you" and "sunshine" to say that you make the speaker feel warm and happy and also give the speaker life in the same way sunshine does.

Imagery can be Literal or Figurative

Imagery is neither a type of figurative language nor does it solely involve the use of figurative language to create descriptions for one simple reason: imagery can be totally literal. Take the lines from Robert Frost's "After-Apple Picking:"

I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend. And I keep hearing from the cellar bin The rumbling sound Of load on load of apples coming in.

These lines contain powerful imagery: you can feel the swaying ladder, see the bending boughs, and hear the rumbling of the apples going into the cellar bin. But it is also completely literal: every word means exactly what it typically means. So this imagery involves no figurative language at all.

Now, that doesn't mean imagery can't use figurative language. It can! You could write, for instance, "The apples rumbled into the cellar bin like a stampede of buffalo," using a simile to create a non-literal comparison that emphasizes just how loudly those apples were rumbling. To sum up, then: imagery can involve the use of figurative language, but it doesn't have to.

Imagery Examples

Imagery is found in all sorts of writing, from fiction to non-fiction to poetry to drama to essays.

Example of Imagery in Romeo and Juliet

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Romeo describes his first sight of Juliet with rich visual imagery:

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night, Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear

This imagery does involve the use of figurative language, as Romeo describes Juliet's beauty in the nighttime by using a simile that compares her to a jewel shining against dark skin.

Example of Imagery in "Birches"

In the early lines of his poem "Birches," Robert Frost describes the birches that give his poem it's title. The language he uses in the description involves imagery of sight, movement, and sound.

When I see birches bend to left and right Across the lines of straighter darker trees, I like to think some boy's been swinging them. But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning After a rain. They click upon themselves As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.

Example of Imagery in The Road

The novelist Cormac McCarthy is known, among other things, for his powerful imagery. In this passage from his novel The Road , note how he uses imagery to describe the fire on the distant ridge, the feel of the air, and even the feeling inside that the man experiences.

A forest fire was making its way along the tinderbox ridges above them, flaring and shimmering against the overcast like the northern lights. Cold as it was he stood there a long time. The color of it moved something in him long forgotten.

Example of Imagery in Moby-Dick

The passage ago appears at the very end of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick and describes the ocean in the moments after a destroyed ship has sunk into it. Notice how Melville combines visual, auditory, and kinesthetic imagery ("small fowls flew"; "white surf beat"), and how the imagery allows you to almost feel the vortex created by the sinking ship and then the silence left behind when it closes.

Now small fowls flew screaming over the yet yawning gulf; a sullen white surf beat against its steep sides; then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago.

Example of Imagery in Song of Solomon

In this passage from Song of Solomon , Toni Morrison uses visual imagery to capture the color and motion of the table cloth as it settles over the table. She also uses figurative language ("like a lighthouse keeper...") to describe the way that Ruth in the passage looks at the water stain on the table. The figurative language doesn't just describe the color or sound or smell of the scene, it captures the obsessive way that Ruth glances at the water stain, and the way that seeing it gives her a sense of ease. Here the figurative language deepens the imagery of the scene.

As she unfolded the white linen and let it billow over the fine mahogany table, she would look once more at the large water mark. She never set the table or passed through the dining room without looking at it. Like a lighthouse keeper drawn to his window to gaze once again at the sea, or a prisoner automatically searching out the sun as he steps into the yard for his hour of exercise, Ruth looked for the water mark several times during the day.

Example of Imagery in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

The main character of Patrick Suskind's novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer has a supernaturally powerful sense of smell. In this passage, which describes the smells of an 18th century city, the narrator captures the nature of 18th century cities—their grittiness and griminess—through the smell of their refuse, and how in such a world perfume might be not just a luxury but a necessity. Further, he makes readers aware of a world of smell of which they normally are only slightly aware, and how a super-sensitive sense of smell could both be powerful but also be overwhelmingly unpleasant. And finally, through smell the narrator is able to describe just how gross humans can be, how they are in some ways just another kind of animal, and how their bodies are always failing or dying. Through descriptions of smell, in other words, the novel also describes an overlooked aspect of the human condition.

In the period of which we speak, there reigned in the cities a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women. The streets stank of manure, the courtyards of urine, the stairwells stank of moldering wood and rat droppings, the kitchens of spoiled cabbage and mutton fat; the unaired parlors stank of stale dust, the bedrooms of greasy sheets, damp featherbeds, and the pungently sweet aroma of chamber pots. The stench of sulfur rose from the chimneys, the stench of caustic lyes from the tanneries, and from the slaughterhouses came the stench of congealed blood. People stank of sweat and unwashed clothes; from their mouths came the stench of rotting teeth, from their bellies that of onions, and from their bodies, if they were no longer very young, came the stench of rancid cheese and sour milk and tumorous disease.

Why Do Writers Use Imagery?

Imagery is essential to nearly every form of writing, and writers use imagery for a wide variety of reasons:

  • It engages readers: Imagery allows readers to see and feel what's going on in a story. It fully engages the reader's imagination, and brings them into the story.
  • It's interesting: Writing without imagery would be dry and dull, while writing with imagery can be vibrant and gripping.
  • It can set the scene and communicate character: The description of how a person or place looks, moves, sounds, smells, does as much to tell you about that person or place as any explanation can. Imagery is not just "window dressing," it is the necessary sensory detail that allows a reader to understand the world and people being described, from their fundamental traits to their mood.
  • It can be symbolic: Imagery can both describe the world and establish symbolic meanings that deepen the impact of the text. Such symbolism can range from the weather (rain occurring in moments of sadness) to symbolism that is even deeper or more complex, such as the way that Moby-Dick layers multiple meanings through his descriptions of the whiteness of the whale.

Other Helpful Imagery Resources

  • Wikipedia entry on imagery : A concise, no nonsense entry on imagery.
  • Imagery in Robert Frost's poetry : A page that picks out different kinds of imagery in poems by Robert Frost.
  • Imagery in John Keats's poetry : A page that identifies imagery in poems by John Keats.

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  • When & How to use Imagery

I. What is Imagery?

Imagery is language used by poets, novelists and other writers to create images in the mind of the reader. Imagery includes figurative and metaphorical language to improve the reader’s experience through their senses.

II. Examples of Imagery

Imagery using  visuals:

The night was black as ever, but bright stars lit up the sky in beautiful and varied constellations which were sprinkled across the astronomical landscape.

In this example, the experience of the night sky is described in depth with color (black as ever, bright), shape (varied constellations), and pattern (sprinkled).

Imagery using sounds:

Silence was broken by the peal of piano keys as Shannon began practicing her concerto .

Here, auditory imagery breaks silence with the beautiful sound of piano keys.

Imagery using scent:

She smelled the scent of sweet hibiscus wafting through the air, its tropical smell a reminder that she was on vacation in a beautiful place.

The scent of hibiscus helps describe a scene which is relaxing, warm, and welcoming.

Imagery using taste:

The candy melted in her mouth and swirls of bittersweet chocolate and slightly sweet but salty caramel blended together on her tongue.

Thanks to an in-depth description of the candy’s various flavors, the reader can almost experience the deliciousness directly.

Imagery using touch:

After the long run, he collapsed in the grass with tired and burning muscles. The grass tickled his skin and sweat cooled on his brow.

In this example, imagery is used to describe the feeling of strained muscles, grass’s tickle, and sweat cooling on skin.

III. Types of Imagery

Here are the five most common types of imagery used in creative writing:

Imagery

a. Visual Imagery

Visual imagery describes what we see: comic book images, paintings, or images directly experienced through the narrator’s eyes. Visual imagery may include:

  • Color, such as: burnt red, bright orange, dull yellow, verdant green, and Robin’s egg blue.
  • Shapes, such as: square, circular, tubular, rectangular, and conical.
  • Size, such as: miniscule, tiny, small, medium-sized, large, and gigantic.
  • Pattern, such as: polka-dotted, striped, zig-zagged, jagged, and straight.

b. Auditory Imagery

Auditory imagery describes what we hear, from music to noise to pure silence. Auditory imagery may include:

  • Enjoyable sounds, such as: beautiful music, birdsong, and the voices of a chorus.
  • Noises, such as: the bang of a gun, the sound of a broom moving across the floor, and the sound of broken glass shattering on the hard floor.
  • The lack of noise, describing a peaceful calm or eerie silence.

c. Olfactory Imagery

Olfactory imagery describes what we smell. Olfactory imagery may include:

  • Fragrances, such as perfumes, enticing food and drink, and blooming flowers.
  • Odors, such as rotting trash, body odors, or a stinky wet dog.

d. Gustatory Imagery

Gustatory imagery describes what we taste. Gustatory imagery can include:

  • Sweetness, such as candies, cookies, and desserts.
  • Sourness, bitterness, and tartness, such as lemons and limes.
  • Saltiness, such as pretzels, French fries, and pepperonis.
  • Spiciness, such as salsas and curries.
  • Savoriness, such as a steak dinner or thick soup.

e. Tactile Imagery

Lastly, tactile imagery describes what we feel or touch. Tactile imagery includes:

  • Temperature, such as bitter cold, humidity, mildness, and stifling heat.
  • Texture, such as rough, ragged, seamless, and smooth.
  • Touch, such as hand-holding, one’s in the grass, or the feeling of starched fabric on one’s skin.
  • Movement, such as burning muscles from exertion, swimming in cold water, or kicking a soccer ball.

IV. The Importance of Using Imagery

Because we experience life through our senses, a strong composition should appeal to them through the use of imagery. Descriptive imagery launches the reader into the experience of a warm spring day, scorching hot summer, crisp fall, or harsh winter. It allows readers to directly sympathize with characters and narrators as they imagine having the same sense experiences. Imagery commonly helps build compelling poetry, convincing narratives , vivid plays, well-designed film sets, and descriptive songs.

V. Imagery in Literature

Imagery is found throughout literature in poems, plays, stories, novels, and other creative compositions. Here are a few examples of imagery in literature:

Excerpt describing a fish :

his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper, and its pattern of darker brown was like wallpaper: shapes like full-blown roses stained and lost through age .

This excerpt from Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “The Fish” is brimming with visual imagery. It beautifies and complicates the image of a fish that has just been caught. You can imagine the fish with tattered, dark brown skin “like ancient wallpaper” covered in barnacles, lime deposits, and sea lice. In just a few lines, Bishop mentions many colors including brown, rose, white, and green.

Another example :

A taste for the miniature was one aspect of an orderly spirit. Another was a passion for secrets: in a prized varnished cabinet, a secret drawer was opened by pushing against the grain of a cleverly turned dovetail joint , and here she kept a diary locked by a clasp , and a notebook written in a code of her own invention. … An old tin petty cash box was hidden under a removable floorboard beneath her bed.

In this excerpt from Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement , we can almost feel the cabinet and its varnished texture or the joint that is specifically in a dovetail shape. We can also imagine the clasp detailing on the diary and the tin cash box that’s hidden under a floorboard. Various items are described in-depth, so much so that the reader can easily visualize them.

VI. Imagery in Pop Culture

Imagery can be found throughout pop culture in descriptive songs, colorful plays, and in exciting movie and television scenes.

Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox:

FANTASTIC MR. FOX - Official Theatrical Trailer

Wes Anderson is known for his colorful, imaginative, and vivid movie making. The imagery in this film is filled with detail, action, and excitement.

Louis Armstrong’s “ What a Wonderful World. ”

Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World Lyrics

Armstrong’s classic song is an example of simple yet beautiful imagery in song. For instance, the colors are emphasized in the green trees, red blooming roses, blue skies, and white clouds from the bright day to the dark night.

VII. Related Terms

(Terms: metaphor,  onomatopoeia and personification)

Metaphor is often used as a type of imagery. Specifically, metaphor is the direct comparison of two distinct things. Here are a few examples of metaphor as imagery:

  • Her smiling face is the sun .
  • His temper was a hurricane whipping through the school, scaring and amazing his classmates .
  • We were penguins standing in our black and white coats in the bitter cold .
  • Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is also a common tool used for imagery. Onomatopoeia is a form of auditory imagery in which the word used sounds like the thing it describes. Here are a few examples of onomatopoeia as imagery:

  • The fire crackled and popped .
  • She rudely slurped and gulped down her soup .
  • The pigs happily oinked when the farmer gave them their slop to eat .
  • Personification

Personification is another tool used for imagery. Personification provides animals and objects with human-like characteristics. Here are a few examples of personification as imagery:

  • The wind whistled and hissed through the stormy night .
  • The tired tree’s branches moaned in the gusts of wind.
  • The ocean waves slapped the shore and whispered in a fizz as they withdrew again.

List of Terms

  • Alliteration
  • Amplification
  • Anachronism
  • Anthropomorphism
  • Antonomasia
  • APA Citation
  • Aposiopesis
  • Autobiography
  • Bildungsroman
  • Characterization
  • Circumlocution
  • Cliffhanger
  • Comic Relief
  • Connotation
  • Deus ex machina
  • Deuteragonist
  • Doppelganger
  • Double Entendre
  • Dramatic irony
  • Equivocation
  • Extended Metaphor
  • Figures of Speech
  • Flash-forward
  • Foreshadowing
  • Intertextuality
  • Juxtaposition
  • Literary Device
  • Malapropism
  • Parallelism
  • Pathetic Fallacy
  • Point of View
  • Polysyndeton
  • Protagonist
  • Red Herring
  • Rhetorical Device
  • Rhetorical Question
  • Science Fiction
  • Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
  • Synesthesia
  • Turning Point
  • Understatement
  • Urban Legend
  • Verisimilitude
  • Essay Guide
  • Cite This Website

What Is Imagery? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Imagery definition.

Imagery  (ih-MUHJ-ree) is a literary device that allows writers to paint pictures in readers’ minds so they can more easily imagine a story’s situations, characters, emotions, and  settings . A good way to understand imagery is to think of the word  imagination . Writers form strong images by being specific and concrete and using language to appeal to the readers’ five senses.

The word  imagery  originates from the Old French  imagerie,  meaning “figure” (13 c).  Imagery  first appeared in English in the middle of the 14th century.

Types of Imagery

While people generally think of imagery as something that can be seen, literary imagery actually pertains to all five senses.

  • Visual imagery : This draws on the sense of sight to create pictures in readers’ heads; for example, “Her lips  glistened red like ripe cherries .” Writers invoke color, size, etc., to help readers visualize scenes more vividly.
  • Auditory imagery : This evokes the sense of sound. It often involves the use of  onomatopoeia , when words mimic the sound they represent: “The alarm clock  beeped .” Sounds can help describe any auditory moment, such as dialogue in how one talks or a noisy setting like the roaring ocean. Depending on how the sound is expressed, it enhances mood, such as chaos, tension, or tranquility.
  • Olfactory imagery : Phrasing that makes use of the sense of smell is olfactory imagery; for example, “He smelled  like the ocean, salty and fresh .” Because smell is heavily linked to memory, writers may use olfactory imagery to recreate a certain mood or feeling for readers.
  • Gustatory imagery : This involves the sense of taste; for example “The  salty-sweet  caramel melted on her tongue.” These images can be literal—for example, the taste of a food or beverage—or evoke an emotion (“ metallic taste  of fear”) or a situation’s mood (“ honey-sweet  kiss,” “ sour bile  in her mouth”).
  • Tactile imagery : This style of imagery appeals to readers’ sense of touch; for example, “The  velvety moss  covered the forest floor.” Tactile imagery often involves textures and physical traits (rough, smooth, itchy, sharp, dull), temperature (warm, freezing, humid), and movement (galloping, swimming, hugging).

How Imagery Is Formed

Writers create imagery by adhering to the adage “Show, don’t tell.” Instead of using simplistic, dull exposition to explain a scene, writers use clear, descriptive language that appeals to readers’ five senses.

Take the following sentence:

  • “The baby is cute.”

While this sentence provides information about the baby’s appearance, readers have no concrete details about what attributes the baby possesses that make it cute. Instead of being able to picture the baby, readers must trust the writer’s value judgement.

Now, consider this revised sentence:

  • “The baby was  as pudgy as a marshmallow  and had  giant brown eyes .”

Now, the writer uses visual imagery to describe the baby so readers can clearly picture it in their heads. As opposed to the original sentence’s vagueness, the new sentence is specific and detailed.

Adjectives can be a writer’s best friend when it comes to creating strong, vivid descriptions, including characteristics like age, texture, color, and scent. Writers present all this information so that readers can imagine exactly what they intend.

  • No adjectives: “The apple is on the table”
  • Specific adjectives: “The  bruised, green  apple is on the table.”

The Effects of Imagery

Because imagery involves the five senses, it allows readers to feel as if they are experiencing what the writer is describing. Therefore, readers can better connect with the characters and situations, as well as reflect on their own lives and experiences. This makes reading feel more vivid, active, and personal. Writing that uses strong imagery ensures readers will keep paying attention.

Imagery can often be symbolic. When a certain image or detail is repeated throughout a piece of writing, the writer may want readers to link it to a larger theme in the work.

Examples include:

  • A burning candle to evoke how brief life is
  • A setting sun to symbolize a death or ending
  • A long road to suggest life’s journey

When images are frequently used, they can become  clichés , overused phrases or imagery that is considered hackneyed or commonplace. Common clichés include:

  • Red like a rose
  • Sweet as honey
  • Black like night
  • Cold as ice

Readers lose interest when something is described in a way they have seen or heard many times before. Because of this, good writers avoid clichés. Instead, they create fresh, new images.

Literal Imagery vs. Figurative Imagery

In addition to evoking the five senses, imagery can fall into two general buckets: literal and figurative.

Literal imagery describes things exactly as they are without hidden or symbolic meaning. This is also called descriptive imagery. Writers often use adjectives to create literal imagery.

  • “The sky was  periwinkle blue  with a few  scattered, wispy clouds .”
  • “Her  strong  perfume gave me a headache.”
  • “The blanket was  soft  and”

Figurative language  uses strong comparisons to go beyond words’ literal meanings and presents information in a new way. Imagery created using figurative language is also referred to as “poetic imagery.”

  • “The sky was  as blue as the ocean  and the clouds  sailed across it like white boats. ”
  • “Her perfume  smelled like a garden of fresh roses in bloom. ”
  • “The blanket was  as soft as cat’s fur. ”

Figurative Imagery and Other Literary Devices

Figurative imagery is often associated with  figures of speech —literary devices that intentional deviate from words’ literal meaning to embellish the language.

Common figures of speech that invoke powerful images include:

  • Simile : A simile is an explicit comparison between two or more similar things. When constructing a simile, writers use the words  like  or  as  to make the comparison clear: “The sun was  as yellow as an egg yolk .” The image of an egg yolk to describe the sun emphasizes its deep, strong color.
  • Metaphor : A metaphor is an implicit comparison between two or more things. Metaphors do not require the use of  like  or  as  because they imply the compared objects are exactly the same. Consider these lines from Sylvia Plath’s poem, “Metaphors”: “An elephant, a ponderous house / A melon strolling on two tendrils.” Plath uses the images of an elephant, a house, and a melon walking to describe the uncomfortable sizes pregnant women experience.
  • Synecdoche : A synecdoche is a figure of speech wherein a part stands in for the whole. For example, performers may refer to the stage as “the boards.” Theater stages are often made of wood, so while the synecdoche only invokes an image of the stage’s wooden boards, readers know the entire stage is being referenced.
  • Personification : Personification is the representation of an abstract concept in human form. This literary device is frequently misunderstood. People often believe personification is when writers give human characteristics to a nonhuman thing (e.g., “the wind sighed sadly”), but that is only part of what personification encompasses. The Grim Reaper is an example of personifying a concept; it allows the reader to visualize death as an ominous person. Additionally, personification occurs when a writer gives an object more animation than it already possesses: “The yellow  fog rubs its back  upon the window-panes.” This example is both visual and tactile; readers can picture the fog as if it is an animal and therefore imagine how softly it touches the windows.

Examples of Imagery in Literature

1. F. Scott Fitzgerald,  The Great Gatsby

In the last sentence of the classic novel, narrator Nick Carraway tells the readers:

So  we beat on, boats against the current,  born ceaselessly back into the past.

Fitzgerald employs visual imagery through the use of metaphor, comparing people to boats. Like vessels in the water, people try to move forward in their lives, but the efforts and optimistic dreams of the future are ultimately futile because the powerful influence of the past push back harder, like a strong current.

2. Nalo Hopkinson,  Brown Girl in the Ring

In the Prologue to her dystopian novel, Hopkinson uses visual imagery to describe the  setting  by saying:

Imagine a cartwheel half-mired in muddy water, its hub just clearing the surface. The spokes are the satellite cities  that form Metropolitan Toronto: Etobicoke and York to the west; North York in the north; Scarborough and East York to the east.  The Toronto city core is the hub.

Hopkinson evokes the image of a cartwheel to allow readers to visualize the setting’s geographic layout. This imagery also connects to an older era of farming to set up the broader context of a dystopian future where Hopkinson’s characters have returned to an agrarian lifestyle to survive.

3. Sandra Cisneros, “Puro Amor”

In this short story, Cisneros uses tactile imagery to illustrate the close bond between the character Missus and her pets. While Missus sleeps, the dogs are:

[…] warming her back,  radiating heat like meteorites  […]

This simile compares the dogs’ warmth against Missus’s back to the heat of meteorites. This  hyperbolic  description also expands on the dogs’ warmth by lending an otherworldly quality to it. To Missus, the dogs are a heavenly presence.

4. William Shakespeare,  Othello

In Act III, Scene iii, Iago tells Othello to beware of jealousy, calling it the:

green-eyed monster  which doth mock
the meat it feeds upon.

This personification of jealousy makes the audience understand how powerful and dangerous the emotion truly is. When Othello eventually succumbs to his jealous rage, the audience can more easily understand how this monster of jealousy overcame his feelings of tenderness for his wife Desdemona.

Describing the monster as “green-eyed” does double duty. It allows the audience to imagine the monster more vividly, and the color green, commonly used to depict jealousy, helps reinforce the play’s central theme.

5. Helen Macdonald,  H Is For Hawk

In this memoir about her father’s death, Macdonald describes a hawk she is taming with olfactory imagery:

The hawk had filled the house with wildness  as a bowl of lilies fills the house with scent.

This simile allows readers to understand how the hawk’s untamed nature permeates Macdonald’s house. Much like the scent of fresh lilies can take over an enclosed space, so too does the hawk’s primitiveness overwhelm her home’s civility.

6. Cecilia Ekbäck , Wolf Winter

In Part One of this historic novel about Swedish Lapland, teenage Frederika uses auditory imagery when she remembers going fishing with her father:

The river poured from his lifted oars with the sound of waterfalls.”

This description allows the reader to hear the water’s movement as her father rows. The word “waterfalls” also evokes a visual image of the water sliding off his oars.

7. Mary Oliver, “Mushrooms”

Near the opening of this poem, Oliver describes how mushrooms sprout in the wild:

red and yellow skulls
pummeling upward
through leaves

This metaphor compares mushroom caps to skulls, producing a strong image of the mushrooms’ round, smooth shape. This is also a symbolic warning of how dangerous wild mushrooms can be; since many mushrooms are poisonous, sampling them can be fatal.

Further Resources on Imagery

In  “Learning Image and Description,”  poet Rachel Richardson shows aspiring writers how to create strong images in their work.

Jack Smith demonstrates how to create deeper meaning and poetic beauty in his essay  “Figurative language in fiction: putting words to work.”

Mary Oliver’s book  A Poetry Handbook  contains an excellent chapter on imagery.

SuperSummary's library of resources and content , such as " A Beginner's Guide to Literary Analysis " and " How to Write a Summary ."

Related Terms

  • Onomatopoeia

literature imagery definition

What is Imagery — Definition - Examples in Literature - Poetry - StudioBinder

  • Scriptwriting

What is Imagery — Definition & Examples in Literature & Poetry

D escribing sensory experiences through the medium of writing and text can be difficult. By enlisting the use of imagery, writers are able to vividly describe experiences, actions, characters, and places through written language. What is imagery exactly. How is imagery in poetry and literature used? In this article, we’ll take a look at the imagery definition, seven different types of imagery and how each can be used to further immerse a reader into the work of a writer. 

Imagery definition

First, let’s define imagery.

Although there are several types of imagery, they all generally serve a similar function. To better understand the function of imagery in poetry and literature and how it can be achieved through various other literary devices, let’s take a look at the imagery definition. 

IMAGERY DEFINITION

What is imagery.

Imagery is a literary device used in poetry, novels, and other writing that uses vivid description that appeals to a readers’ senses to create an image or idea in their head. Through language, imagery does not only paint a picture, but aims to portray the sensational and emotional experience within text. 

Imagery can improve a reader’s experience of the text by immersing them more deeply by appealing to their senses. Imagery in writing can aim at a reader’s sense of taste, smell, touch, hearing, or sight through vivid descriptions. Imagery can be created using other literary devices like similes, metaphors, or onomatopoeia. 

What is imagery used for?

  • Establishing a world or setting
  • Creating empathy for a character’s experience
  • Immersing a character into a situation

There are seven different types of imagery that writer’s use. All are in one way or another dependent on the reader’s senses. Let’s take a look at the types of imagery that are most commonly used in literature. 

What is imagery in poetry

1. visual imagery.

Visual imagery is most likely what people think of when they hear the term imagery. It uses qualities of how something looks visually to best create an image in the reader’s head. These visual qualities can be shapes, color, light, shadow, or even patterns. 

It is one of the most common types of imagery as it allows readers to better describe the world and characters of a novel or poem. Visual imagery is often used in screenplays when first introducing characters. Take a look at how Quentin Tarantino uses this type of imagery to introduce characters and places in the Pulp Fiction screenplay .

What is Imagery - Pulp Fiction Example - StudioBinder Screenwriting Software

Pulp Fiction screenplay  •  Imagery examples

Visual imagery is often achieved through the use of other literary devices like metaphors and similes . To say a woman looks like Helen of Troy is both imagery, a simile, and an allusion. 

It can be frequently found in screenplays when a character is first introduced. 

Related Posts

  • Read More: What is a Simile? Definition and Examples →
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What’s imagery used for?

2. auditory imagery.

Our next type of imagery is auditory imagery. This type of imagery appeals to a reader’s sense of hearing. Creating an auditory experience through text can be difficult. But it can also be necessary for a story or plot. For example, the sound of war can be necessary to immerse the reader into a war novel. This may be used to describe gunfire, explosions, screams, and helicopters. 

Let’s take a look at William Shakespeare’s Macbeth , auditory imagery is used for a physical action that affects the actions of the characters. 

Macbeth - Imagery examples

Auditory imagery.

“Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of

hell-gate, he should have old turning the key. Knock

Knock, knock, knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ the name of

Belzebub? Here’s a farmer that hanged himself on th’

expectation of plenty. Come in time! Have napkins

enow about you; here you’ll sweat for’t. Knock

Knock, knock! Who’s there, in th’ other devil’s name?”

As you can see from this example, writers will also enlist the use of onomatopoeia to create the actual sound of an action or effect through text. This can make reading a story more experiential. 

What does imagery mean?

3. gustatory imagery.

Gustatory imagery is a type of imagery that aims at a reader’s sense of taste. This would most commonly be used to describe food as a character eats it. A great example of this can be found in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. As the Queen creates Turkish Delight for Edmund, C.S. Lewis uses gustatory imagery to describe its taste.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - Imagery examples

Gustatory imagery.

“The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious. He was quite warm now, and very comfortable.”

Describing food as sweet, salty, or even spicy can immerse a reader further into a character’s simple action of eating. Gustatory imagery can be incredibly effective when describing unpleasant tastes as well. 

4. Olfactory Imagery

Olfactory imagery is used when writers’ want to appeal to a reader’s sense of smell. Olfactory imagery is a great way to better describe both what a character is experiencing as well as the world of the novel, poem, or other writing. 

The smell of fresh rain, smoke from a fire, or gasoline can be described through olfactory imagery. A great example of this can be found in the novel The Dead Path by Stephen M. Irwin. Note the comparisons Irwin used to create the olfactory imagery and paint a picture of the smell. 

The Death Path - What is imagery in literature?

Olfactory imagery.

“But a smell shivered him awake.

It was a scent as old as the world. It was a hundred aromas of a thousand places. It was the tang of pine needles. It was the musk of sex. It was the muscular rot of mushrooms. It was the spice of oak. Meaty and redolent of soil and bark and herb. It was bats and husks and burrows and moss. It was solid and alive - so alive! And it was close.”

Olfactory imagery can also be used in a screenplay as a plot point and to suggest to actor’s what they are smelling and how they are reacting.

5. Tactile Imagery

To create the sensory experience of touch through text, writers utilize tactile imagery. This type of imagery can be used to describe how something feels such as texture, temperature, wetness, dryness, etc. 

In Albert Camus’ novel The Stranger , Camus uses this type of imagery to describe the heat of the sun pressing down on a man at the beach. 

The Stranger - What is imagery in literature?

Tactile imagery.

“Seeing the rows of cypress trees leading up to the hills next to the sky, and the houses standing out here and there against that red and green earth, I was able to understand Maman better. Evenings in that part of the country must have been a kind of sad relief. But today, with the sun bearing down, making the whole landscape shimmer with heat, it was inhuman and oppressive.”

As you can see from this example, this can be tremendously effective when characters are undergoing some type of turmoil. Tactile imagery appeals to a reader’s sense of touch and allows them to better empathize with a character. 

  • Read More: Ultimate guide to Literary Devices →
  • Read More: What is a Motif? Definition and Examples →

Kinesthetic imagery definition

6. kinesthetic imagery.

Kinesthetic imagery is used to describe the sensory experience of motion. Speed, slowness, falling, or even fighting can be written with kinesthetic imagery. 

In the world of screenwriting, kinesthetic imagery is perhaps most important in the genre of action films. How else can you write an epic fight scene other than by using kinesthetic imagery to paint the picture? 

In our breakdown of one of the many epic fight scenes in John Wick , we take a look at how kinesthetic imagery can tell the story of action on the page. Using words like “slam” and “snap” create the imagery of the fight scene. 

What is Imagery in Fight scenes?  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Kinesthetic imagery is also great when writing about topics like sports, driving, and other intense action. 

Organic imagery meaning

7. organic imagery.

Last, but not least on our list is organic imagery. Organic imagery appeals to the most primitive sensations in the human experience such as hunger, fatigue, fear and even emotion. 

It can be quite difficult to describe the emotions of a sorrowful character or desperate character. But organic imagery aims to do just that. When done effectively, organic imagery can be the best tool to move a reader to tears of either joy or sadness. 

What is a Simile? 

One of the most common devices writers use to create imagery is a simile. It is both efficient and effective because it uses less words to relate more deeply to a reader. In our next article, we take a look at the simile definition and some examples of how similes are used in both literature and screenwriting. 

Up Next: What is a Simile? →

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What is imagery? Take a moment to conceptualize something in your mind: an object, a sound, a scent. Transcribe whatever you think about into language, transmitting to the reader the precise experience you had in your brain. This is imagery in literature​​—a powerful literary device that communicates our everyday sensory experiences.

Literature abounds with imagery examples, as authors have used this device to connect with their readers at a personal level. A precise image can form the basis of a powerful metaphor or symbol, so writers make their work resonate using imagery in poetry and prose.

Why do authors use imagery? In this article, we examine the 5 types of imagery in literature—visual, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, and auditory. We’ll also take a look at some imagery examples and writing exercises. But first, let’s properly examine what is imagery in literature.

  • Why Do Authors Use Imagery?

Imagery in Poetry

  • Visual Imagery (Sight)
  • Auditory Imagery (Sound)
  • Tactile Imagery (Touch)
  • Olfactory Imagery (Smell)
  • Gustatory Imagery (Taste)

Kinesthetic Imagery and Organic Imagery

Imagery writing exercises, imagery definition: what is imagery.

Imagery refers to language that stimulates the reader’s senses. By evoking those senses through touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight, the writer imparts a deeper understanding of the human experience, connecting with the reader through a shared sensory experience.

Imagery definition: language that stimulates the reader’s senses.

For the most part, imagery in literature focuses on concrete senses—things you can physically experience. However, internal experiences and emotions also count, and later in this article, we dive into how to properly write organic imagery.

Of course, good imagery examples are not merely descriptive. I could tell you that “the wallpaper is yellow,” and yes, that counts as visual imagery, but it’s hardly describing the experience of that wallpaper . Is the wallpaper bright and cheerful? Does it lift your mood, or darken it?

Here’s a much more interesting description of that yellow wallpaper, from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “ The Yellow Wallpaper ”:

“The color is repellant , almost revolting ; a smouldering unclean yellow , strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight .

It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others . No wonder the children hated it! I should hate it myself if I had to live in this room long.”

Take note of how the visual imagery (bolded) shows you the wallpaper’s various colors and stains. When paired with the narrator’s tone (italicized), we form an image of bleak, depressing paper, far from the cheerful yellowness you might expect.

The best imagery examples will also form other literary devices . You’ll find that many images end up being metaphors, similes, and symbols, and many more images also rely on devices like juxtaposition. The interplay of these devices further strengthens the worldbuilding power of both the image and the author.

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Why do Authors Use Imagery?

Authors use imagery to do what Charlotte Perkins Gilman does in “The Yellow Paper”: to create rich, livable experiences using only the senses.

Think of imagery as a doorway into the world of the text. It allows the reader to see, smell, hear, taste, and feel everything that happens in the story.

Moreover, this device highlights the most important sensory descriptions. Consider where you are right now, as you’re reading this article. There are many different sensory experiences vying for your attention, but your brain filters those senses out because they’re not important. You might be ignoring the sounds of your neighbors and passing street cars, or the taste of a meal you just had, or the feeling of your chair pressing into your body.

Imagery in literature performs the same function: it highlights the most important sensory information that the reader needs to step inside the story. Great imagery examples set the stage for great storytelling , goading the reader into the world of the work.

For a more in-depth answer on “why do authors use imagery?”, check out our article on Show, Don’t Tell Writing .

What is imagery in poetry? Is it any different than in prose?

While this device is the same for both poetry and prose, you might notice that imagery in poetry is more economic—it relies on fewer words. Take the following excerpt from Louise Glück’s poem October :

“Daybreak. The low hills shine

ochre and fire, even the fields shine.

I know what I see; sun that could be

the August sun, returning

everything that was taken away —”

The images in this excerpt are stunning, particularly “the low hills shine ochre and fire.” The reader can imagine a roiling green landscape tinged like a flame in the early sunrise, contributing to the speaker’s sense of hope that one often feels at the start of a new day.

In poetry, as in prose, images are often juxtaposed next to feelings, creating a sensory and emotive experience. The language that each form uses to create those experiences is similar, but the poetic form encourages an economy of language, making imagery in poetry more concise .

5 Types of Imagery in Literature

Corresponding with the 5 senses, there are 5 types of imagery at a writer’s disposal. (Actually, there’s 7—but we’ll handle those last two separately.)

Every writer should have all 5 types of imagery in their toolkit. To create a rich, believable experience for the reader, appealing to each of the reader’s senses helps transport them into the world of the story. No, you shouldn’t focus on all 5 senses at the same time—in real life, nobody can pay attention to all of their senses at once. But, you should be able to use all 5 types of imagery when your writing calls for it.

What is imagery in literature? These excerpts will show you. Let’s look at each type and some more imagery examples.

1. Visual Imagery Definition

Visual imagery is description that stimulates the eyes. Specifically, your mind’s eye: when you can visualize the colors, shapes, forms, and aesthetics of something that’s described to you, the writer is employing visual imagery.

When you can visualize the colors, shapes, forms, and aesthetics of something that’s described to you, the writer is employing visual imagery.

This is the most common form of imagery in literature, as the writer relies on visual description to create a setting, describe characters, and show action. Without visual imagery, it is much harder to employ the other types of imagery (though writers have certainly done this in the event that a character is blind or blinded).

Visual Imagery Examples

In each example, the visual imagery examples have been bolded.

“ A field of cotton —

as if the moon 

had flowered .”

—Matsuo Bashō, from Basho: The Complete Haiku , translated by Jane Reichhold.

“While talking to my mother I neaten things. Spines of books by the phone.

in a china dish. Fragments of eraser that dot the desk . She speaks

of death. I begin tilting all the paperclips in the other direction .”

—Anne Carson, from “ Lines ” in Decreation.

2. Auditory Imagery Definition

Auditory imagery is description that stimulates the ears. When you can hear the sounds of nature, machinery, or someone’s voice, it’s because of the description employed in the author’s auditory imagery.

When you can hear sounds like nature, machinery, or someone’s voice, it’s because of the description employed in the author’s auditory imagery.

Do note that, while you might be able to hear dialogue in your head, dialogue alone doesn’t count as auditory imagery. The sounds need to be described using adjectives, adverbs, and especially comparisons to other images.

Additionally, the literary device “ onomatopoeia ” does not count as auditory imagery. Onomatopoeias are wonderful devices that improve the sonic quality of your writing, but as devices, they are words that transliterate sounds into syllables; they don’t describe sounds in interesting or metaphorical ways.

Auditory Imagery Examples

In each example, the auditory imagery examples have been bolded.

“Few believe we’re in the middle of the end

because ruin can happen as slowly as plaque

blocking arteries, and only later feels as true

as your hand resting on my hip, both of us

quiet as roses waiting for the bees to arrive. ”

—Julie Danho, excerpt from “I Want to Eat Bugs With You Underground” in Bennington Review .

“Our ears are stoppered

in the bee-hum . And Charlie,

laughing wonderfully ,

beard stained purple

by the word juice ,

goes to get a bigger pot.”

—Robert Hass, excerpt from “ Picking Blackberries with a Friend Who Has Been Reading Jacques Lacan ” originally published in Praise.

3. Tactile Imagery Definition

Tactile imagery is description that stimulates your sense of touch. Sensations like itching, stickiness, and the warmth of sunlight all count as tactile imagery, which appeals to the way your skin might feel in that moment.

Sensations like itching, stickiness, and the warmth of sunlight all count as tactile imagery, which appeals to the way your skin might feel in that moment.

Tactile experiences only refer to external sensations, primarily on the skin. When a writer describes internal sensations, they’re using organic imagery, which we’ll define later in this article.

Tactile Imagery Examples

In each example, the tactile imagery examples have been bolded.

—Rainer Maria Rilke, excerpt from Journal of My Other Self.

“Are All the Break-Ups in Your Poems Real?

If by real you mean as real as a shark tooth stuck

in your heel , the wetness of a finished lollipop stick ,

the surprise of a thumbtack in your purse —

then Yes, every last page is true, every nuance,

bit, and bite .”

—Aimee Nezhukumatathil, excerpt from “Are All the Break-Ups in Your Poems Real?” in Poetry Foundation .

4. Olfactory Imagery Definition

Olfactory imagery is description that stimulates the nose. By describing the peculiarities of a scent—its richness, pungence, weight, distinctness, or physical effect—the author transports the reader through the use of olfactory imagery.

By describing the peculiarities of a scent—its richness, pungence, weight, distinctness, or physical effect—the author transports the reader through the use of olfactory imagery.

Olfactory looks like a strange word, but it comes from the Latin for “to smell,” and we have an olfactory bulb in our brains which processes smells. Fun fact: the olfactory bulb is situated just in front of the hippocampus, which processes memory. As a result, smells often stimulate stronger memories than the other senses, so you can use olfactory imagery to arouse both smell and memory.

Olfactory Imagery Examples

In each example, the olfactory imagery examples have been bolded.

—Patricia Hampl, excerpt from The Florist’s Daughter.

“Why is it that the poets tell

So little of the sense of smell?

These are the odors I love well:

The smell of coffee freshly ground;

Or rich plum pudding, holly crowned;

Or onions fried and deeply browned. ”

—Christopher Morley, excerpt from “ Smells ”.

5. Gustatory Imagery Definition

Gustatory imagery is description that stimulates the tongue. If you’ve ever done a wine or coffee tasting, you know exactly how complex a flavor can be. Gustatory imagery captures a flavor’s richness, acidity, earthiness, sweetness, bitterness, harshness, etc.

Gustatory imagery captures a flavor’s richness, acidity, earthiness, sweetness, bitterness, harshness, etc.

This is perhaps the rarest of the 5 types of imagery, as authors don’t seem to dwell on tastes too much, but gustatory imagery can absolutely throw the reader into different cultures, cuisines, and histories.

Gustatory Imagery Examples

In each example, the gustatory imagery examples have been bolded.

—E.M. Forster, excerpt from A Room With a View.

“I have eaten

that were in

you were probably

for breakfast

they were delicious

and so cold .”

—William Carlos Williams, “ This Is Just To Say ”.

Writers have another 2 types of imagery at their disposal: kinesthetic imagery and organic imagery. We include these as separate types of imagery because they describe senses that are more abstract than the other 5.

Kinesthetic Imagery Definition

Kinesthetic imagery, also called kinesthesia, refers to descriptions of motion. The sensations one feels when on the move, like running against the wind or swimming through brisk waters, are examples of kinesthetic imagery.

The sensations one feels when on the move, like running against the wind or swimming through brisk waters, are examples of kinesthetic imagery.

Kinesthesia might seem similar to tactile imagery, but the difference is that kinesthesia always describes movement. So, a bee sting is tactile, but a bee whizzing past your arm is kinesthetic; the coldness of a wall is tactile, but the feeling of a cold wall moving against you is kinesthetic.

Kinesthetic Imagery Examples

—Charles Dickens, excerpt from A Tale of Two Cities.

—Brit Bennett, excerpt from The Mothers .

Organic Imagery Definition

Organic imagery refers to descriptions of internal sensation. When the writer uses concrete description to show an internal landscape of feelings, pains, emotions, and desires, they’re using organic imagery. And what is imagery, if not visceral or deeply felt?

When the writer uses concrete description to show an internal landscape of feelings, pains, emotions, and desires, they’re using organic imagery.

Organic imagery can be physical, like stomach pain or a headache, but it can also be emotional: the feeling of your heart dropping into your gut, or the burn of jealousy in your temples.

Organic Imagery Examples

—S. K. Osborn, excerpt from There’s A Lot of Good Reasons to Go Out West .

“So was I once myself a swinger of birches.

And so I dream of going back to be.

It’s when I’m weary of considerations,

And life is too much like a pathless wood. ”

—Robert Frost, excerpt from “ Birches ”.

The importance of descriptive, concrete imagery to creative writing cannot be understated. To master this literary device, try your hand at the following 5 writing exercises.

1. Show, Don’t Tell

“Show, don’t tell” writing is writing that uses concrete details to transmit an experience to the reader, rather than asserting the experience itself. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, you can learn about it (and find many more imagery examples) at this article .

Here’s an example of showing instead of telling:

  • Telling: Mom stomped into the doorway, furious.
  • Showing: The only thing chillier than the breeze from outside was mother herself, her bootsteps making the floorboards shake, her brow furrowed so tightly I worried her face might fall off.

In this exercise, rewrite the following phrases into complete “show, don’t tell” statements. The below sentences are “telling” sentences where the writer is chewing the reader’s food—asserting an experience without relying on the senses.

“Telling” statements:

  • The girl felt warm.
  • The full moon was bright.
  • Her heart dropped.
  • His dinner wafted through the kitchen.
  • The cat chased birds.
  • The wind swept the trees.
  • Her bike wouldn’t budge.
  • The berries tasted fresh.
  • Their socks got wet.
  • The music echoed down the hall.

The development of precise images is essential to great poetry, storytelling, and “show, don’t tell” writing. While poetry writing can linger in description, story writing is best kept to action. This checklist from Writer’s Digest does a great job of explaining how to make this device action-focused.

2. Look At This Photograph

Find an interesting photograph. It can be a physical photo, it can sit somewhere in your camera roll, it can be a classical painting, or you can simply look for something unique on a site like Unsplash .

Now, describe that photograph using the different types of imagery— except for visual imagery. Try to convey the experience of the photograph without showing the reader what it actually looks like. The challenge of describing something visual without relying on visual images will help you sharpen your descriptive writing.

Here’s an example, using this landscape painting by John Wootton:

imagery writing exercise john wootton landscape painting

  • Auditory: The men whistled over the crash of waves reaching the shore, and the horse whinnied along with the work.
  • Tactile: Water lapped along the men’s ankles, as cold as a snake’s glistening eyes.
  • Olfactory: The salty air perforated each man’s nostrils, punctuating the air with a briny sharpness.
  • Gustatory: Salt water waves occasionally crashed into the men’s lips, acrid and mouth-puckering. While they worked they thought about home, the warm taste of dinner satiating a hard day’s work.
  • Kinesthetic: The barely moving air graced each man’s legs like a cat brushing past, and all was still.
  • Organic: The sun crept below the horizon, and in the dark the forest seemed like it might come to life, like it was harboring a dark and heady tomorrow .

When you have an example for each non-visual image, try to combine them into a singular effective description of the photograph.

Do all of these imagery examples make sense? Do they even come close to describing the painting? Absolutely not. But just the attempt at describing a landscape painting through taste or touch helps juice your creativity, and you might stumble upon some really beautiful writing in the process.

If you enjoyed this exercise, you might be interested in the Ekphrastic Poetry Challenge at Rattle .

3. Think Abstractly

Great imagery relies on the use of great concrete words, particularly nouns and verbs (though some adjectives, too). The opposite of a concrete word is an abstract word: a word which describes an idea, not an image.

Examples of abstract words are “satisfaction,” “mercantilism,” “love,” “envy,” “disgust,” and “bureaucracy.” None of those words have concrete images: they might have symbols (like “heart” for “love”), but no single image defines any of those words.

For this exercise, generate a list of abstract words. If you’re struggling to come up with good words, you can use a list of abstractions like this one . Once you’ve settled on a good list, select a word that particularly excites you.

Use this abstract word as the title of a poem or story. Now, write that poem or story, using concrete description to show the reader exactly how that abstraction feels and looks. Do not use the abstract word, or any synonyms or antonyms, in your writing—try to avoid abstractions altogether.

At the end of your exercise, you might end with a poem like “Love’s Philosophy” by Percy Bysshe Shelley .

4. Synesthesia

Synesthesia is a literary device in which the writer uses more than one sense to describe something. For example, we often use the phrase “cool colors” for blues and greens, and “warm colors” for reds and oranges. “Cool” and “warm” are tactile, and since a color itself cannot be warm or cold, we’re able to represent the color through synesthesia.

Synesthesia is also a rare psychological condition, in which a person involuntarily experiences something in multiple senses. For example, someone with synesthesia might say that the number 12 is reddish-orange, or that the sound of a guitar tastes like rain.

For this exercise, describe the following items using synesthesia. Describe sounds using colors or tastes, describe smells using memories or movements. Get creative! You don’t need to have synesthesia to write synesthesia, just try to break free from the conventional use of the different types of imagery in literature.

Describe the following using synesthesia:

  • The sound of your best friend’s voice. (What color, shape, smell, taste, or feeling does it have?)
  • The disaster girl meme .
  • The taste of vanilla ice cream.
  • The letter J.
  • A freezing shower.
  • The smell of the rain.
  • The feeling of sandpaper against skin.

For example, I might write that the letter J is the color of a forest at dusk, blue-green and pregnant with night.

Does that make sense to anyone else but me? Probably not! But that’s the point: be creative, be weird, be synesthetic.

5. Use Only Metaphors and Similes

For this exercise, you are free to describe whatever you would like. Describe an inanimate object, a food you enjoy, your pet, your archnemesis, the wind, the sea, the sun, or really anything you want to write about.

Whatever you choose, you must only describe that object using metaphors and similes . For a primer on these two literary devices, check out our article Simile Vs Metaphor Vs Analogy .

Do not use adjectives or adverbs, and only use nouns in comparison with your object.

Try to generate a list of metaphors and similes. For example, if your object is a rubber ball, you can say it “moves like a sparrow,” “bounces like children on trampolines,” and “waits to be noticed, a planet in hiding.”

Try to write for 15-20 minutes, and if you’ve generated a long enough list, you might even consider organizing your metaphors and similes into a poem or flash story. As with our other exercises, use compelling imagery, and show us something new about your object!

What is Imagery in Literature? Master the Device at Writers.com

Why do authors use imagery? To transport their readers to new and believable worlds. To learn more about imagery and practice it in your writing, take a look at the upcoming courses at Writers.com .

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Sean Glatch

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Sean, this is an extremely useful article. Thanks for sharing it. Loved the examples.

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My pleasure, Lynne!

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Lovely explanation of five senses

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I agree!! Thank you so much for this wonderful new tool.

[…] Imagery Definition: 5+ Types of Imagery in Literature […]

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I must print this one out.

' src=

Great tool. Thanks for sharing

' src=

very good website, really made my understanding wayyyyy better

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What is Imagery? || Definition & Examples

"what is imagery" a guide for english essays.

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What is Imagery? Transcript (English and Spanish Subtitles Available, Click HERE for Spanish Transcript.)

By Raymond Malewitz , Oregon State University Associate Professor of American Literature

As human beings, we understand the world through our senses—what we see, what we hear, what we smell, what we taste, and what we touch.  To represent this process in their literary works, storytellers and poets use vivid language designed to appeal to these senses.  This language is called imagery.   Let me give you one example.

In Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour,” a woman named Mrs. Mallard is told that her husband has just been killed in a railroad accident.  After retreating to her room to grieve, she looks out her window.  Chopin writes:

"She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with new spring life.  The delicious breath of rain was in the air.  In the street below a peddler was crying his wares.  The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves."

imagery_kate_chopin_the_story_of_an_hour.jpg

Imagery Kate Chopin The Story of an Hour

In this passage, Chopin’s imagery appeals to a variety of senses: the sight of quivering trees, the smell of rain, the sound of twittering sparrows, and so on.

As this passage suggests, imagery often does more than simply present sensory impressions of the world: it also conveys tone , or the attitude of a character or narrator towards a given subject.  By concentrating on what Mrs. Mallard experiences at this moment-- quivering trees, singing birds, and smells of rain –Chopin’s narrator allows readers to understand the complex way in which Mrs. Mallard views her husband’s death—as both a tragic event and a rebirth of sorts in which the spring imagery conveys the freedom she imagines beyond the confines of her marriage. 

Instead of telling us these thoughts through exposition or explanation, Chopin’s narrator shows us the worldview of her character and encourages us to interpret what this imagery means.  This difference is crucial for students interested using the term “imagery” in their literary essays.  Rather than writing that imagery is good or bad, vivid or dull, students should instead try to connect imagery to the thoughts of a character, narrator, or speaker. 

Further Resources for Teachers:

H.D.'s short poem "Oread" and Leslie Marmon Silko's short story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" offer students two different good opportunities to practice linking imagery to the worldview of certain speaker. 

Writing Prompt #1: In H.D.'s poem, a forest nymph sees the waves of the sea as "pointed pines," which is a very strange metaphor. How does this imagery provide insight into ways that that creature experiences the world?

Writing Prompt #2: In Silko's story (which was published under the name Leslie Chapman), the fourth section drops into what might be called a "close" third-person aligned with the priest's perspective on the ritual he is performs. But instead of providing his actual thoughts, Silko chooses to present how he sees the world through detailed imagery.  What does this imagery convey about his thoughts on the ritual and why might Silko has chosen this oblique or indirect style to convey it?

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Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of imagery.

As a literary device, imagery consists of descriptive language that can function as a way for the reader to better imagine the world of the piece of literature and also add symbolism to the work. Imagery draws on the five senses, namely the details of taste , touch , sight , smell , and sound . Imagery can also pertain to details about movement or a sense of a body in motion (kinesthetic imagery) or the emotions or sensations of a person, such as fear or hunger (organic imagery or subjective imagery). Using imagery helps the reader develop a more fully realized understanding of the imaginary world that the author has created.

Common Examples of Imagery

We use imagery in everyday speech to convey our meaning. Here are some examples of imagery from each of the five senses:

  • Taste : The familiar tang of his grandmother’s cranberry sauce reminded him of his youth.
  • Sound : The concert was so loud that her ears rang for days afterward.
  • Sight : The sunset was the most gorgeous they’d ever seen; the clouds were edged with pink and gold.
  • Smell : After eating the curry, his breath reeked of garlic.
  • Touch : The tree bark was rough against her skin.

Significance of Imagery in Literature

Imagery examples are prevalent in all types of literature from cultures around the world. Poets, novelists, and playwrights use imagery for many reasons. One of the key usages is that the imagery in a piece can help create mood, such as the cliché d opening “It was a dark and stormy night.” While this line is too hackneyed for any author to actually use it, it is a good example of imagery in that the reader immediately pictures the kind of setting in which the story may take place. This particular imagery also creates a mood of foreboding. Indeed, even Shakespeare used this type of opening for his famous play MacBeth : the three witches in the beginning speak of the “thunder, lightning [and] rain” and the “fog and filthy air.”

While an author may use imagery just to help readers understand the fictive world, details of imagery often can be read symbolically. In the previous example of MacBeth , the thunder and lightning that open the play symbolize both the storm that is already taking place in Scotland and the one that is about to begin once MacBeth takes over the throne. Thus, when analyzing literature it is important to consider the imagery used so as to understand both the mood and the symbolism in the piece.

Examples of Imagery in Literature

Example #1: taste.

On rainy afternoons, embroidering with a group of friends on the begonia porch, she would lose the thread of the conversation and a tear of nostalgia would salt her palate when she saw the strips of damp earth and the piles of mud that the earthworms had pushed up in the garden. Those secret tastes, defeated in the past by oranges and rhubarb, broke out into an irrepressible urge when she began to weep. She went back to eating earth. The first time she did it almost out of curiosity, sure that the bad taste would be the best cure for the temptation. And, in fact, she could not bear the earth in her mouth. But she persevered, overcome by the growing anxiety, and little by little she was getting back her ancestral appetite, the taste of primary minerals, the unbridled satisfaction of what was the original food.

( One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez)

This passage from Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude discusses one of the character’s pica eating disorder. There are many examples of imagery using the sense of taste, including “a tear would salt her palate,” “oranges and rhubarb,” and “the taste of primary minerals.” The imagery in this excerpt makes the experience of an eating disorder much more vivid and imaginable to the reader.

Example #2: Sound

My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.

(“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost)

When most people think of Robert Frost’s famous poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” the final refrain comes to mind: “And miles to go before I sleep.” Yet the short poem contains many imagery examples that are simple yet set the scene well. In this excerpt, there is a juxtaposition of two sounds: the bright noise of the horse’s harness bells and the nearly silent sound of wind and snowflake. While the reader knows that this is a dark night, the sense of sound makes the scene even more realistic.

Example #3: Sight

Outside, even through the shut window-pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no colour in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere. The black mustachioed face gazed down from every commanding corner. There was one on the house-front immediately opposite. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston’s own. Down at street level another poster, torn at one corner, flapped fitfully in the wind, alternately covering and uncovering the single word INGSOC. In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight.

( 1984 by George Orwell)

One of the central conceits of George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984 is the all-pervasive surveillance of this society. This is a world that has its eyes constantly open—“Big Brother is watching you” is the motto of the society—yet the world itself is almost colorless. All that the main character, Winston, sees is “whirling dust,” “torn paper,” and posters of a “black mustachioed face” with “dark eyes.” These sensory details contribute to a general feeling of unease and foreshadow the way in which the world appears more chilling as the novel goes on.

Example #4: Smell

In the period of which we speak, there reigned in the cities a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women. The streets stank of manure, the courtyards of urine, the stairwells stank of moldering wood and rat droppings, the kitchens of spoiled cabbage and mutton fat; the unaired parlors stank of stale dust, the bedrooms of greasy sheets, damp featherbeds, and the pungently sweet aroma of chamber pots. The stench of sulfur rose from the chimneys, the stench of caustic lyes from the tanneries, and from the slaughterhouses came the stench of congealed blood. People stank of sweat and unwashed clothes; from their mouths came the stench of rotting teeth, from their bellies that of onions, and from their bodies, if they were no longer very young, came the stench of rancid cheese and sour milk and tumorous disease.

( Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind)

Patrick Suskind’s novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer focuses on a character who has a very acute sense of smell. The novel, therefore, has numerous examples of imagery using descriptions of smell. This excerpt comes from the beginning of the novel where Suskind sets up the general palate of smells in eighteenth-century Paris. Using these smells as a backdrop, the reader is better able to understand the importance of the main character’s skill as a perfumer. The reader is forced to imagine the range of smells in this novel’s era and setting that no longer assault us on a daily basis.

Test Your Knowledge of Imagery

1. Choose the best imagery definition:

A. A technique using descriptive details from the five senses. B. A way of seeing things in a new light. C. A way to describe a character’s emotions.

2. What effect does the imagery produce in this opening passage from George Orwell’s novel 1984 ?

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him. The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats.

A. Since the opening line is in April, this passage sets up expectations for Winston Smith to better his situation throughout the spring. B. The contradictory details of Winston’s building being named Victory Mansions and it smelling of boiled cabbage and old rag mats creates a feeling of unease in the reader. C. The fact that most of these details are unpleasant—the vile wind, the gritty dust, and old rag mats—makes the reader understand that Winston is a pessimistic man.

3. Which of the following lines from Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” contains imagery?

A. The woods are lovely, dark and deep B. But I have promises to keep C. And miles to go before I sleep

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Walter Whiter (1758—1832) philologist and literary scholar

G. Wilson Knight (1897—1985) literary scholar

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Quick Reference

A rather vague critical term covering those uses of language in a literary work that evoke sense-impressions by literal or figurative reference to perceptible or ‘concrete’ objects, scenes, actions, or states, as distinct from the language of abstract argument or exposition. The imagery of a literary work thus comprises the set of images that it uses; these need not be mental ‘pictures’, but may appeal to senses other than sight. The term has often been applied particularly to the figurative language used in a work, especially to its metaphors and similes. Images suggesting further meanings and associations in ways that go beyond the fairly simple identifications of metaphor and simile are often called symbols. The critical emphasis on imagery in the mid-20th century, both in New Criticism and in some influential studies of Shakespeare, tended to glorify the supposed concreteness of literary works by ignoring matters of structure, convention, and abstract argument: thus Shakespeare's plays were read as clusters or patterns of ‘thematic imagery’ according to the predominance of particular kinds of image (of animals, of disease, etc.), without reference to the action or to the dramatic meaning of characters' speeches. See also motif.

From:   imagery   in  The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms »

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What is Imagery in Literature? Definition, Examples of Literary Imagery

Imagery consists of descriptive language used to create images in the mind of the reader. Imagery is used to represent objects, actions, and ideas in ways that evoke the five sense.

What is Imagery?

Imagery involves using figurative and/or metaphorical language that helps the reader to imagine the world created in the literature that they are reading. This allows the reader to develop a deeper understanding of the world about which they are reading.

Imagery appeals to the five senses in order to add meaning and elements of symbolism to writing. Imagery can also evoke senses of movement, emotional sensations, and organic imagery (such as hunger).

Pablo Neruda famously uses imagery in much of his poetry, include the poem “Lost in the Forest.” Neruda’s poems tend to include several types of imagery all at once.

Lost in the forest, I broke off a dark twig

and lifted its whisper to my thirsty lips:

maybe it was the voice of the rain crying,

a cracked bell, or a torn heart.

Something from far off it seemed

deep and secret to me, hidden by the earth,

a shout muffled by huge autumns,

by the moist half-open darkness of the leaves.

Wakening from the dreaming forest there, the hazel-sprig

sang under my tongue, its drifting fragrance

climbed up through my conscious mind

as if suddenly the roots I had left behind

cried out to me, the land I had lost with my childhood—

and I stopped, wounded by the wandering scent.

Types of Imagery

Visual Imagery Examples

Visual imagery is a description of what is seen. This includes color, shapes and sizes, patterns, etc.

William Wordsworth’s poem “Daffodils”

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Auditory Imagery Examples

Auditory imagery describes sounds and what can be heard. This can include music, noises, lack of sounds, etc.

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Sunday” by Robert Frost

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

Olfactory Imagery Examples

Olfactory imagery is used to describe smells such as fragrances and odors.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind is a novel full of olfactory imagery.

In the period of which we speak, there reigned in the cities a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women. The streets stank of manure, the courtyards of urine, the stairwells stank of moldering wood and rat droppings, the kitchens of spoiled cabbage and mutton fat; the unaired parlors stank of stale dust, the bedrooms of greasy sheets, damp featherbeds, and the pungently sweet aroma of chamber pots.

Gustatory Imagery Examples

Gustatory imagery refers to taste and often includes descriptions of sweetness, bitterness, sourness, spiciness, etc.

“Haiku (The Taste)” by Jack Kerouac

–Why kneel?

Tactile Imagery Examples

Tactile imagery describes touch and includes things such as temperature, texture, touch, and movement.

“The Seafarer” by Ezra Pound

Hung with hard ice-flakes, where hail-scur flew,

There I heard naught save the harsh sea

And ice-cold wave, at whiles the swan cries,

The mews’ singing all my mead-drink.

Storms, on the stone-cliffs beaten, fell on the stern

In icy feathers; full oft the eagle screamed

With spray on his pinion.

The Importance of Imagery

Imagery helps to create the representation of ideas in our minds as readers. Imagery serves to help the mind create vivid scenes that appeal to the reader’s senses. Imagery help to stimulate reader creativity and add symbolic beauty and/or artistry to what is being read.

Additionally, symbolism helps contribute to literature’s mood and tone. This refers to how the author feels about the subject (tone) and how readers respond emotionally (mood). Symbolism is also enhanced through the use of imagery as important ideas and aspects of a story take root in the reader’s mind and are emphasized as the reader creatively expands upon these things.

Imagery also serves to connect readers to the characters. By allowing readers to have the same or similar sensory experiences as the characters, it makes it easier for readers to directly sympathize with and imagine being with the characters.

Imagery Examples in Literature

Imagery is heavily used in poetry and prose alike. Here are some popular examples:

“To Autumn” by John Keats uses auditory and visual imagery in order to create an artistic representation of the season of Fall. Without skillful use of imagery, readers would not connect to why the poem is important. In this case, imagery helps to create feelings of familiarity and appreciation of nature.

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Atonement by Ian McEwan is a novel about war and romance in which imagery is skillfully used to evoke emotions of nostalgia and longing by playing on physical senses:

She raised one hand and flexed its fingers and wondered, as she had sometimes before, how this thing, this machine for gripping, this fleshy spider on the end of her arm, came to be hers, entirely at her command. Or did it have some little life of its own? She bent her finger and straightened it. The mystery was in the instant before it moved, the dividing moment between not moving and moving, when her intention took effect. It was like a wave breaking. If she could only find herself at the crest, she thought, she might find the secret of herself, that part of her that was really in charge.”

Recap: What is Imagery in Literature?

Imagery is used to evoke the senses of sight, taste, smell, touch, and sound. Imagery is important because it adds an element of artistry to writing and allows the audience to connect more fully with characters by helping readers feel as if they are really there. Imagery uses metaphorical and figurative language in order to paint a scene in the mind’s eye of the readers.

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What is Imagery in Literature? Definition and Examples

literature imagery definition

by Fija Callaghan

What pulls readers into a story? Is it strong, relatable characters? Fantastic settings? Or is it a deep, universal theme that hits your readers on a visceral level?

These literary devices are all super important for creating a work that people love to read, but often what really draws in readers is imagery ; the vivid way in which we show them the world of our story. Imagery is what brings your story from the distant somewhere else into the here and now .

We’ll look at how to use vivid descriptions and figurative language to engage your reader’s senses, along with some examples of imagery that show you how to create a sensory experience in the reader’s mind.

What is imagery in creative writing?

Imagery is a literary device that uses descriptive language to create mental images for the reader. This can be used to give context to the events of your story, to immerse your reader in an unfamiliar setting, to communicate mood and tone for a particular scene, or to create an emotional response in your reader.

You can create imagery that activates all of the reader’s senses, not just the visual sense. Sound, smell, taste, touch, and movement all help to create vibrant scenes that make them feel as if they were there.

When your reader begins to feel like they’re a part of the world of your story, that’s when they start to invest in the characters , events, and big-picture themes that you’re working to communicate through your writing.

Easy imagery definition: Imagery is a literary device that uses all five senses to describe what’s happening in the story.

How is imagery different from symbolism?

Imagery and symbolism are two literary devices that sound kind of similar because they both use images to communicate with readers. But they’re not quite the same. The biggest difference is that imagery engages readers on a sensory, emotional level, and symbolism engages the reader on a more intellectual level.

Descriptive imagery uses all of our senses to create a vivid picture of a person, place, object, or moment for the reader. For example, consider this use of imagery to describe a box:

The box full of letters is made of metal that’s painted bright red, heavier than it looks and cold to the touch. The metal is smooth except for one place near the lock, which is rough with scratches where someone once tried to pry it open. There’s a handle on top that squeaks when you try to lift it because of the rust that’s starting to form where the handle joins the lid.

Can you see the box clearly in your mind? That’s imagery at work.

Compare that to symbolism, which is when a writer attributes an underlying meaning to a person, place, or object. This brings depth to your story and helps communicate underlying themes and ideas.

If you’re using symbolism, you might say that the letter box is a symbol of a couple’s growing resentment to each other—the vivid color makes it impossible to ignore, it weighs them down more than they’d like to admit, and their relationship is beginning to corrode because of it.

Using imagery and symbolism together like that is very effectively for create strong, emotional connections for your readers.

Literal vs. figurative imagery

When we talk about imagery, we’re really talking about two distinct devices: literal imagery and figurative imagery. Let’s look a little closer at each one.

Literal imagery

This type of imagery uses descriptive language to show something exactly the way it is, using ideas that we can see, hear, and touch. When we described the box above as red, cold, heavy, smooth, and squeaking, we were using literal imagery—straightforward, unadorned words to create a realistic idea in the reader’s head.

This technique can be very powerful because it uses language that we already have a clear reference for. This makes the scene more real and tangible for the reader.

Figurative imagery

Figurative or poetic imagery uses descriptive literary devices like similes, metaphors, and hyperbole to create a vivid picture for the reader. Rather than telling them exactly what they’re seeing in the world of your story, this type of imagery allows them to create their own image out of your words. Using poetic imagery, we could describe the box as “red as a gaping wound,” or “heavy as an elephant,” or say that holding it is like “reaching into icy water.”

This kind of language can create a strong emotional response in the reader.

Many authors favor one type of imagery over the other—what type of imagery you most resonate with is an important part of your writer’s voice . Finding a comfortable balance of both literal and figurative imagery in your writing is ultimately one of the things that makes a great writer.

Literal imagery describes what’s actually happening. Figurative imagery uses metaphors and similes to paint a picture. Both contribute to the reader’s experience.

Types of imagery to use in your story

Effective imagery uses all of the senses to create a detailed world for your story. Most of us rely mainly on our eyes to take in information, but as a writer, you have a whole range of physical sensations to explore. Every one of them can be used to bring your reader deeper and deeper into your story world.

1. Visual imagery

Visual imagery encompasses everything that we can see. Colors, shapes, sizes, proportions, angles, edges, textures, and contrast are all different things you can communicate through the readers’ senses.

Saying that a man stood half-in and half-out of shadow, his wool collar turned up against his face and his hair tipped golden by the lamplight, is an example of using different aspects of visual imagery to create a clear scene.

2. Auditory imagery

Auditory imagery is everything that we hear. After our eyes, our ears tell us the most about our environment. Your characters might hear the sounds of other voices, nearby traffic, music coming from a neighbor’s apartment, water dripping through pipes, the knocking of an air conditioner, branches rustling, distant machinery, a keyboard clattering, or the soft rustle of the turning pages of a book.

Using auditory imagery can reveal surprising things about your story and convey new information to your characters, as well as immersing your readers deeper into the scene.

3. Gustatory imagery

Gustatory imagery is the imagery of taste. What and how we taste is one of the most important ways in which we define culture, and often one of the first things people become aware of when immersing themselves in cultures outside of their own.

You can use sensory details to describe the way food tastes, of course, but also the way the air tastes in a new environment, the way blood tastes if you accidentally bite your tongue, the flavour of plastic and ink as you chew the end of your pen in thought.

You can also use gustatory imagery in a metaphorical way, as well as in a literal one; for example, the way a new love affair might taste sweet but an argument might taste bitter and acidic.

4. Olfactory imagery

Olfactory imagery is the imagery of scent. More than any other sense, our sense of smell is deeply linked to the way we form and perceive memory. In your story, using olfactory imagery is an easy way to link different times and places.

Olfactory memories can be pleasant, or they can be less so; your characters memories might be triggered by the smell of lavender like they had their childhood garden, by the smell of hot concrete in the sun as they remember the events of a particularly hot day, by the smell of burning toast that brings them back to a traumatic event, or by the fragrance that a loved one used to wear, even if your character hasn’t thought about them in decades.

There are 7 different types of imagery: visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic, and composite.

5. Tactile imagery

Tactile imagery encompasses our sense of physical contact. For many people, touch is the sense we subconsciously trust the most; it’s easy to doubt the things you see and hear, but if it can be tangibly felt by your bare skin, it becomes real in an unequivocal way.

Things like a baby’s skin, a man’s unshaven face, the rough fabric of a tweed coat, slimy cough medicine, a warm teacup, or the cold surface of a window are all ways to use this type of imagery to create an emotional impact. How do different textures bring back memories and elicit feelings?

6. Kinesthetic imagery

Kinesthetic imagery is related to tactile imagery, but it specifically refers to the feeling of movement. These can be things like hair blowing across your face in the wind, a rope slipping slowly from your grasp, the discomfort of shifting an aching muscle, the feeling of bread dough being kneaded in your hands, or the feeling of shoes beginning to drag across the sidewalk after a very long walk.

This type of imagery reflects one state changing to another, and is often used in moments where something is being created, broken, found, or lost.

7. Composite imagery

Composite imagery is a device that uses contradictory senses to create an image or feeling. These are always figurative , rather than literal . For example, you could say, “kissing her tasted like sunlight,” mixing gustatory imagery with tactile and visual imagery; or, “his voice sounded like splintered wood,” mixing auditory imagery with tactile imagery.

Using poetic imagery in this way uses metaphors to create surprising connections and shows your reader what’s happening in a fresh way.

Evocative examples of imagery in literature

1. stardust , by neil gaiman.

Something stung his left hand. He slapped at it, expecting to see an insect. He looked down to see a pale yellow leaf. It fell to the ground with a rustle. On the back of his hand, a veining of red, wet blood welled up. The wood whispered about them.

This moment opens with tactile sensations in the feeling of being stung and then the slapping of skin on skin. Then Gaiman shows us, through visual images, the conflict between what the character expected to see and what he really saw. The verbs “rustle” and “whispered” add a powerful auditory experience to this vibrant scene.

2. The Strawberry Thief , by Joanne Harris

The dry reek of cigarettes has become the scent of burning leaves; the sweet and simple bonfire scent of autumn nights by the fireside. The chocolate is cooler now: the silky consistency has returned. I return the pan to the burner. Tiny petals of steam lift from the glossy surface.

This author uses olfactory imagery to marvelous effect as she shows the subtle change from one moment to another. Then the moment moves uses sight to explore the contrasting textures of the chocolate and the steam, taking us effectively from the negative “reek of cigarettes” to the more pleasant-sounding “tiny petals of steam.”

3. The Little Sister , by Raymond Chandler

I smelled Los Angeles before I got to it. It smelled stale and old like a living room that had been closed too long. But the colored lights fooled you. The lights were wonderful. There ought to be a monument to the man who invented neon lights.

This is another example of a literary work that effectively uses imagery in juxtaposition, showing the city’s worst and best qualities side by side. He uses olfactory imagery to express the negative in a poetic and imaginative way, and then lays down the positive aspect through visually focusing on the brightness of the lights around him.

4. An Irish Country Girl , by Patrick Taylor

She smiled, but her smile soon fled when she heard a very different noise. It was wind howling through bare-branched trees. The walls of the kitchen became blurred, the range and stove vanished, there were no cooking smells, only a chill in her nostrils. Maureen saw flakes, whirling and flying, and small sheep huddled against a gale.

Here Taylor uses auditory imagery to take the character and the reader from a lighthearted moment into a much darker one. He uses olfactory imagery very powerfully by describing an lack of smells, rather than ones that are present, and visual imagery to pick out just a few poignant details that make the scene come to life.

5. The Wild Swans , by Jackie Morris

The lower floors were warm from the kitchen fires and rich with the scent of baking and roasting, bright with the bustle of busy working. The higher floors danced with the light that flooded in through the casement windows.

Morris blends different examples of imagery to create pictures of a single moment full of light and life. She uses tactile imagery in showing us that the rooms are warm, olfactory imagery in the foods that are being prepared, kinesthetic imagery in the bustle of workers and the dancing light, and visual imagery in describing the fires and the way light falls through the windows. In this example, several types of imagery are effortlessly entwined at once.

Remember: the most effective imagery appeals to multiple senses, not just one!

Exercise: increasing your sensory awareness

Here’s a fun, easy exercise to help you develop your writer’s muscles and create stronger imagery for your story.

Go sit somewhere away from home like a park, shopping mall, or café. Bring a notebook with you so you can record your observations. Get settled and make six headings in your notebook, one for each of the imagery types we looked at above. What you’re going to do is try to focus on your environment using only one sense at a time.

Begin with any sense you feel like, except visual—because human beings are so reliant on their visual sense, it’s best to leave that one for the very end and challenge yourself to experience the world through your other five senses first.

Close your eyes and use the sense you picked to pay attention to the world around you.

What do you hear? Are there people talking close by, fountains bubbling, harsh noises of espresso machines grinding, dogs barking, wind rustling the treetops, old pipes whispering behind walls?

What do you smell? Grass being cut, aromatics in soil released by the rain, hairspray straggling in the air, somebody’s greasy takeout?

What do you feel? The weight of your scarf around your neck, smooth wood from a park bench under your hands, a gentle breeze blowing stray hair across your forehead, vibrations under your feet from someone running nearby?

Go through every sense and after each one, open your eyes and record al the concrete details you remember.

You’ll be amazed at how much information there is around us all the time that our bodies are taking in without even realizing it. Every single one of these experiences can be used in your writing. Little details like these ones will make your stories more real and present for the reader as they immerse themselves in your world.

Imagery gives life and color to your writing

Imagery is around us all the time in the things we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Using this sensual language in your writing is a great way to communicate new information with the reader, create a shift in tone from one moment to another, add depth to a particular scene, and bring new life to your story.

Once you begin experimenting with different types of imagery in your writing, you’ll find yourself looking at the world of your story—and the world around you—in a whole new way.

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A literary device is a technique a writer uses to convey ideas and messages to their readers. That means that as readers, we need to understand and use literary devices to fully understand a work’s major themes!

Today, we’re going to take a closer look at how to use imagery to analyze a text. We’ll start by giving you the imagery definition before talking about why it’s an important tool for analyzing a text. Then we’ll walk you through some imagery examples in poetry and fiction and show you exactly how to analyze the imagery in each.

By the end of this article, you’ll be able to talk about imagery in literature like a pro, so let’s get started.

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What Is Imagery? Definition and Explanation

Have you ever read a book that makes you feel like you’re seeing, feeling, smelling, or tasting the same thing as the character you’re reading about? (We had that experience the first time Harry Potter tries butterbeer in Hogsmeade .) If you have, you can thank imagery for that experience!

Imagery is the act of using language to create images in the reader’s mind . Writers use descriptive words and phrases to help the reader feel like they’re...well, wherever the writer wants them to be! Basically, the writer is trying to create a “mental image” for the reader through the words they choose. Here’s how one of the greatest horror writers of all time, Stephen King , describes imagery :

Imagery does not occur on the writer’s page; it occurs in the reader’s mind. To describe everything is to supply a photograph in words; to indicate the points which seem the most vivid and important to you, the writer, is to allow the reader to flesh out your sketch into a portrait.

In other words: you can think of imagery as painting with words in order to fuel the reader’s imagination!

An easy way to spot imagery in a text is to pay attention to words, phrases, and sentences that connect with your five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound). That’s because writers know that in order to capture a reader’s attention, they need to engage with them mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Since imagery is designed to connect a reader to a text, it’s one of the most powerful tools a writer has to communicate their themes and messages.

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The 2 Types of Imagery

Any time a writer engages a reader’s senses, they’re using imagery...which means imagery is a really broad literary device. In general, however , imagery fits into two big categories: literal and figurative.

Literal Imagery: Examples and Explanation

With literal imagery, a writer is literally describing things to the reader. (Pretty straightforward, huh?)

Writers often use literal imagery to describe the setting, characters, and situation for a reader. Literal imagery helps the reader picture where characters are, understand what characters are doing, and even foreshadow what might happen next. (For example, if the character is in a dark, dirty alley, they’re probably in a more dangerous situation than if the character is skipping through a field of daisies.)

Let’s take a look at an example of literal imagery from Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park so you can see what we mean. In this scene, Dr. Alan Grant, Lex Murphy, and Tim Murphy are trying to hide from a tyrannosaurus rex:

The tyrannosaur was still looking downstream, its back turned to them. They hurried along the path to the waterfall, and had almost moved behind the sheet of falling water when Grant saw the tyrannosaur turn. Then they were completely behind the waterfall, and Grant was unable to see out through the silver sheet.

Now that you’ve read this passage, close your eyes and picture the scene. You’re probably picturing a giant waterfall, a hungry tyrannosaurus rex, and a lot of danger, right? That’s because the literal imagery in this passage paints a very specific, literal picture that helps you imagine what’s happening in this moment!

Magic, right? Not quite. Imagery works because the writer uses descriptive words and phrases to help paint a picture. Let’s take a look at the first few lines again and pick out some of the descriptive language that helps shape the scene:  

They were closer to the waterfall now, the roar much louder. The rocks became slippery, the path muddy. There was a constant hanging mist. It was like moving through a cloud.

These lines are almost exclusively description, and Crichton uses phrases like “rocks became slippery” and “constant hanging mist” to help you imagine exactly what’s happening. A good way to pick out literal imagery is to look for nouns, then see how they’re described. For example, the noun “waterfall” is described as having a “roar” that gets “louder” the closer the characters get!

From an analysis perspective, these literal images all work together to help build the mood , or tone , of the scene. In this case, the imagery of the scene contributes to its tense and suspenseful tone. The environment is treacherous--not only are the rocks slick, but the characters have trouble seeing through the mist and water. One false move, and they’ll be a tasty snack for a hungry dinosaur!

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  Use this picture as inspiration for finding connotation! (This will all make sense in a second.)

Figurative Imagery: Examples and Explanation  

Unlike literal imagery, figurative imagery uses on the non-literal--or metaphorical--meaning of words to paint a picture for the reader. Almost all words have two meanings: their denotation and connotation. The denotation of a word is its literal, dictionary definition. Figurative imagery, on the other hand, relies on the connotation —or implied meaning—of words and phrases to help shape a text’s themes and ideas.

To see how figurative imagery works, let’s look at the first line of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130,” where the speaker is describing his lady love:  

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Okay. Let’s zero in on the word “sun” here. According to Merriam-Webster, the literal definition of the word “sun” is “the luminous celestial body around which the earth and other planets revolve, from which they receive heat and light, which is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.” But the speaker doesn’t literally mean that his mistress’ eyes aren’t like a ball of gas!

So what does he mean? To figure this out, let’s look at the figurative imagery here. Take a minute and think of some of the implied or metaphorical meanings of the word “sun.” The word might make you think of warmth and happiness. It also might make you think of other images like burning, blazing, or fiery brightness.

With this figurative imagery in mind, this line is better read as “my mistress’s eyes aren’t bright, warm, or happy.” Not only does figurative imagery help this line make more sense, it also clues readers into the message of the poem: that you can recognize someone’s faults and still love them and find them beautiful.

One more quick note: because you’re a savvy reader , you’ve probably realized that this line from Shakespeare is also a metaphor , which is a comparison between two seemingly unrelated objects (in this case, “eyes” and “sun”). Writers often use other literary devices like metaphor, simile, and personification to help create vivid imagery for the reader. So don’t be surprised if you see imagery overlapping with other literary techniques!

Can an Example of Imagery be Both Literal and Figurative at the Same Time?

Absolutely! In fact, it’s quite common to see writers use literal and figurative imagery simultaneously. Take the first stanza of William Wordsworth’s poem, “Daffodils” :

That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

This stanza combines literal and figurative imagery. Literally, the images in this stanza help us see the speaker wandering around alone until he stumbles upon a patch of daffodils that are growing by a lake. This imagery is important to understanding Wordsworth’s poetry, which often explores the relationship between nature and man.  

The figurative imagery helps us learn a little more about the speaker, who’s an outsider. We can infer this because of the imagery he gives us; he imagines himself as a cloud floating over everything, able to see what’s going on but unable to participate. The daffodils, on the other hand, represent society. The imagery here is happy (the daffodils are “golden” and “dancing”), which is how the speaker views society as someone on the outside looking in.

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 Imagery in Poetry: “Hope is the thing with feathers” by Emily Dickinson

Now that you know more about imagery, let’s look at a poem that uses imagery to portray its major themes:

That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me.

Imagery can make something abstract, like an emotion or theory, seem more concrete and tangible to the reader. By using imagery, writers can evoke the feeling they want to talk about in their readers...and by making their readers feel, writers can also help readers connect to the messages in their work.

In this example, Emily Dickinson takes the abstract idea of “hope” and compares it to a bird. Dickinson paints images of hope doing all the same things a bird does: it “perches,” “sings,” and keeps “so many warm” with its feathers. And despite all these gifts, hope never “asked a crumb” of anything in return. By using imagery to take an abstract idea (hope) and make it concrete (a bird), Dickinson helps readers understand the nature of hope. For Dickinson, hope is something that costs little to have and yet offers us comfort in all of life’s toughest situations.

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Imagery in Fiction: Dracula by Bram Stoker

Imagery can be an equally powerful tool for fiction writers, too. In Dracula, Bram Stoker uses imagery to drive home the horror of the novel. Let’s take a look at one particularly stand-out scene, where Arthur Holmwood has to kill his former fiancee, Lucy Westenra, who has been turned into a vampire:

Remember how we talked about how imagery can set a tone or mood? That’s certainly the case here. Lucy is visually described not as a woman but as a “thing,” and the “blood-curdling screech” she lets out is a great example of how auditory imagery--or the sound of a scene--can contribute to its overall effect. (In this case, it amps up the horror of a once-delicate Englishwoman being transformed into a bloodthirsty beast.) It's the imagery associated with Lucy that shows readers how vicious and animalistic she’s become, which is no surprise: she’s joined Dracula’s army of the undead.

Now, take a look at the imagery surrounding Arthur, Lucy’s former fiancee, and see how it compares to Lucy’s description. Even as he’s killing Lucy, Arthur is described as “a figure of Thor”--meaning he’s strong, heroic, and good with a hammer. Stoker specifically says Arthur is “untrembling” in his task; despite its grisly nature, his steadiness showcases his commitment to protecting his country from the vampire threat...even when it means driving a stake in his lover’s heart. Additionally, his face has the “shine” of duty, which is a nod to the glowing, angelic halos of angels. Arthur’s bravery and light stands in contrast to Lucy’s dark, demonic nature, and Stoker specifically uses imagery to show readers how good can triumph over evil.

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3 Questions to Ask When Analyzing Imagery

These examples have shown you how to find and analyze imagery, but you’ll have to do this all by yourself when you take the AP Literature exam. But don’t worry--now that you’re an expert, finding and analyzing imagery will be a breeze! But just in case you get stuck, here are three questions you can ask yourself to help you better analyze imagery in literature and poetry.

Question 1: What Did I Imagine While I Was Reading?  

The hardest part about analyzing imagery is finding it in the first place. Like we mentioned earlier, a good way to do this is to look for nouns and search for words that describe them. Then you can start asking yourself if those descriptions are figurative imagery (i.e., do those words have any implied or metaphorical meaning).

But when you’re crunched for time, you can go back to the tried-and-true method of using your imagination. Which parts of the text made you picture something in your mind? Since imagery is designed to spark your imagination, there’s a great chance that section contains some sort of imagery!

Question 2: What Does the Imagery Reveal About the Situation?

This question helps you get to the meat-and-potatoes of your analysis really quickly. Once you find a piece of imagery, ask yourself what it’s showing you . It could be describing an important setting, plot point, or character. Make sure you’re asking yourself if there’s figurative imagery at work, too.

If you’re struggling here, you can always go back to the “mental picture” we talked about with the first question. What do you see in that image? There’s a good chance that whatever you’re imagining matters in some way. Once you have that image in your mind, you can start to ask yourself why that particular image is important.

Here’s what we mean: think about the Jurassic Park example we talked about earlier. The imagery there tells us some literal things about what’s happening in the scene, but it also adds to the danger and suspense of the main characters’ predicament. The same can be said for the excerpt from “Daffodils,” only instead of revealing a plot point, the imagery gives readers important insight into the narrator of the poem.

Question 3: How Does the Imagery Affect the Mood of the Text?

Once you find a good piece of imagery, ask yourself how it makes you feel. Is it hopeful? Scary? Depressed? Angry? The feelings associated with the imagery in a work can often reveal the theme of a text.

Take Emily Dickinson’s poem. What feelings are associated with the imagery surrounding “hope”? Well, birds are tame and delicate, and the bird Dickinson describes sings sweetly through life’s fierce storms. Hope is clearly a reassuring, gentle, uplifting thing. By asking yourself why Dickinson thinks hope is good, you can start to figure out some of the messages of the poem!

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What's Next?

Test out your new-found imagery chops by analyzing a poem on your own! We think that Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle into that good night” is a great place to start. Y ou can find the full text of the poem, as well as additional analysis, here .

There’s more to literary analysis than just knowing your way around imagery! Make sure you’re familiar with the most important literary devices, like personification, before you head into your AP test.

There are two parts to the AP Literature test: the multiple choice section and the essay section. Some students worry about the written portion of the test so much that they forget to study for the multiple choice questions! Don’t let this be your situation. Make sure you’re preparing for the whole test by reading through this guide to mastering the AP Literature exam’s multiple choice portion, too .

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Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Imagery refers to language in a poem representing a sensory experience, including visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and gustatory.

Imagery uses vivid and figurative language to engage the senses and depict an object, person, scene, or feeling. The five types of imagery (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and gustatory) relate to the five senses. Writers use imagery to build a specific sensory experience for readers to imagine and relate to. Literary devices such as simile and metaphor can be used to create imagery.

William Wordsworth uses imagery in “[ I wandered lonely as a Cloud ]” to describe a field of daffodils:

“I wandered lonely as a Cloud    That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills, When all at once I saw a crowd,    A host of golden Daffodils; Beside the Lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”  

Words like “golden” appeal to the visual sense, and words like “fluttering” and “dancing” appeal to the visual and tactile senses, illustrating the appearance, and the feeling of movement. 

Other poems that use imagery include “ Spring Thunder ” by Mark Van Doren, “ Trees at Night ” by Helene Johnson, and “ cutting greens ” by Lucille Clifton.

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What is Imagery? Literary Definition of Imagery With Examples

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is Imagery? Literary Definition of Imagery With Examples

Imagery definition: Imagery is language that appeals to one or more of the five senses.

What is Imagery? Imagery Literary Definition

What does imagery mean? Imagery is descriptive language used to appeal to a reader’s senses: touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight. By adding these details, it makes our writing more interesting.

Here is an example of how adding imagery enhances your writing.

  • Original sentence: She drank water on a hot day.
  • Added imagery: The cool, refreshing water quenched her thirst as the scorching sun radiated on her.

Types of Imagery

what is the definition of imagery

Literary Imagery Examples

  • The crimson apple glistened in her hand.
  • The roaring thunder frightened the little boy.
  • The athlete’s sweaty gym clothes left a musty odor in the laundry room.
  • The warm, salty broth soothed her sore throat as she ate the soup.
  • Prickly cactus posed as an obstacle to the men as hiked.

The Importance and Function of imagery

imagery english definition

Let’s take a look at how a description can clarify the meaning.

  • The image in the reader’s mind could change depending on if the author describes this as a crimson apple or a mold-infested apple .

Examples of Imagery in Literature

Imagery is very important when writing fiction because the authors are required to use their words in order for the reader to imagine their stories.

Here are some examples of imagery being used in literature:

To Kill a Mockingbird , Harper Lee:

Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then; a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’ clock naps, and by nightfall were like stiff teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. (6)

In this example, Lee uses various forms of imagery, including visual and tactile.

Fahrenheit 451 , Ray Bradbury:

It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed . With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatter and charcoal ruins of history. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. (3)

In this example, Bradbury utilizes tactile imagery.

Both of these renowned authors employed imagery in order to effectively describe the settings in which their stories take place.

Summary: Imagery Definition Literature

Imagery English Definition: To re-cap, imagery is descriptive language that appeals to one or more of our senses.

Imagery allows the writer to use words to paint an image for readers as they enter the worlds created through words on a page.

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What Is Imagery in Poetry and Literature?

Could you define imagery or tell us the types that occur in poetry and literature .

What is Imagery in Poetry & Literature

The very core of storytelling is organic imagery. When we work to make a film or TV show or anything else, the visuals we put on the screen need to represent the core themes and beats of the story.  This appeals to the audience's sense of humanity. 

These ideas were not created by us filmmakers. They date back to the first human writing, poetry, and literature. They were brought about by finding words to express our sense of hearing, touch, and emotions.

Today, we're going to go over the very idea of imagery and its many facets. We'll learn its types, definition, and examples, and even unpack the vivid imagery that keeps us coming back for more. We will also find out what is the best definition of the term "imagery"! 

You'll learn to be a better visual writer from reading this post. You'll use your taste, smell, hearing, and other senses to connect with the world.

Now, let's go over the kinds of imagery we see in poetry and literature. And also learn how this stuff will help our film and TV aspirations. 

Table of Contents

What Is Imagery in Poetry and Literature? 

This is going to be an all-encompassing walkthrough of the very idea of how we as human beings use our imaginations to create pictures in our heads. It's not only important to storytelling but to every art form we have. No matter what you create, it all comes down to images and how they make the audience feel.

Whether those images are expressed in words or in-camera effects, you need them to tap into emotions and into your soul. 

How does that work in literature and poetry? 

" Imagery" Definition 

Imagery is the visually descriptive language used in a literary work. 

"Literature" Definition

Literature is a written work with lasting artistic merit. 

"Poetry" Definition 

 Poetry is an emotional literary work that uses distinctive style and rhythm to reveal deep human feelings and ideas. 

 A List of Imagery Words

When you're trying to use visual language, you might have trouble finding the words to help you. Well, here's a list of 500+ imagery words that can help you get anything across. Check them out below. 

  • Bittersweet
  • Camouflaged
  • Contaminated
  • Crystalline
  • Ear-piercing
  • Earsplitting
  • Foul-smelling
  • Illuminated
  • Lightweight
  • Malnourished
  • Mountainous
  • Mouth-watering
  • Rectangular
  • Salty/Salted
  • Scrumptious
  • Tantalizing
  • Translucent
  • Transparent

Language That Appeals to the Senses 

This seems like a good time to point out that everything here is dedicated to you creating something that connects with people. We use language that appeals to the senses because it helps us time together the visual imagery of our brains. 

We're able to imagine better if the words on the page appeal to us, if they evoke some sort of sensory memory or just allow us to picture something in all its glory. 

What Is Comparative Imagery? 

If you have two passages and are trying to find their similarities and differences, you compare them. This is called comparative imagery.  

A filmmaker might do this with different drafts of a screenplay. And a writer might do it with different translations of a passage. 

Vivid Imagery Is Often Used to Help the Reader 

We are in the imagination business. As people who primarily work in film and TV, vivid imagery appeals to us because it is the recipe to communicate ideas to readers. 

If no one can picture what you can in your brain, it won’t be a successful project. People need to see what’s happening in their minds so they can connect. 

This is also very important for screenwriters, who use the visual imagery on the page as a blueprint for what directors and cinematographers bring to the screen.   

"Sensory Imagery" Definition

Sensory imagery is when you use descriptive language to easily create images someone can imagine. 

What Is Sensory Imagery? 

Sensory imagery involves the use of descriptive language to create mental images. In literary terms, sensory imagery is a type of imagery—the difference is that sensory imagery works by engaging a reader's five senses. Any description of sensory experience in writing can be considered sensory imagery. 

Sensory covers all the different types of imagery.

The Different Types of Imagery

There are a few types of imagery that you can employ in your writing. Whether working on literature, poetry, or your next great screenplay, try to incorporate these ideas to make your visuals come across even stronger. 

Sometimes we call this the different types of sensory imagery or the all-encompassing, vivid imagery. 

"Vivid Imagery" Definition

Vivid imagery is when the writer uses language that directly appeals to the five senses—touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste—to enable the reader to picture the meaning of the author. 

Vivid Description

When someone talks about vivid descriptions, they're talking about a detailed report about a scene or a landscape. They want individual details that build pictures in our minds and allow us to almost "see" what's going on. 

These are especially helpful for writers tackling novels, poems, or screenplays. They allow the audience to see the action thanks to the scene set by the vocabulary of a great writer.  

Vivid Imagery Example

Robert Frost’s famous poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" contains some of the most vivid imagery possible. You can feel the cold, hear the jingling bells, and see the snow falling in the woods. Check it out below.  

Whose woods these are I think I know.    His house is in the village though;    He will not see me stopping here    To watch his woods fill up with snow.    My little horse must think it queer    To stop without a farmhouse near    Between the woods and frozen lake    The darkest evening of the year.    He gives his harness bells a shake    To ask if there is some mistake.    The only other sound’s the sweep    Of easy wind and downy flake.    The woods are lovely, dark and deep,    But I have promises to keep,    And miles to go before I sleep,    And miles to go before I sleep.

"Visual Imagery" Definition 

Visual imagery immerses the reader or listener in words that describe the sense and feeling of sight. These are things like visual descriptions or talking about color, size, shape, shadows, light, and dark.  

Visual Imagery Examples 

In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper , we get some excellent visual imagery explaining what it looks like on the wall. 

The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.  It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others. No wonder the children hated it! I should hate it myself if I had to live in this room long.

"Olfactory Imagery" Definition 

Olfactory imagery is visuals conjured with the sense of smell. A smell can trigger emotions and memory. It is closely linked to taste and often employs simile to get its point across. Bad or good, scent can take us to many places. 

Olfactory Imagery Examples

Poet H.W. Longfellows uses the sense of smell to bring us to a place where it has just rained. We get all sorts of smells, from clover to smoke, evoking something peaceful and new.  

"They silently inhale the clover-scented gale, And the vapors that arise From the well-watered and smoking soil"

"Tactile Imagery" Definition

Tactile imagery is writing or spoken words that stimulate your sense of touch by evoking things like an itch, something sticky, or the weight or feel of an object. 

Tactile Imagery Example

In William Shakespeare's Macbeth , our titular character talks about the feeling of hot and cold, evoking the way our skin would feel. In this play, about murder, we get that feeling of violence, which makes our skin crawl. 

Shakespeare writes:

"Whiles I threat, he lives: Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives." 

What Does "Gustatory" Mean? 

Gustatory imagery focuses on the reader or listener's sense of taste. It pulls back memories or alludes to the way things sit on our palate. It can be sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty, or savory. 

Gustatory Imagery Example

The esteemed poet John Keats writes in "The Eve of St. Agnes " about the tastes and eats of the festival, and everything sounds so good you can taste it. 

While he forth from the closet brought a heap Of candied apple, quince, and plum, and gourd; With jellies soother than the creamy curd, And lucent syrops, tinct with cinnamon; Manna and dates, in argosy transferr’d From Fez; and spiced dainties, every one, From silken Samarcand to cedar’d Lebanon.

Auditory Imagery

Auditory imagery is a form of visual imagery that evokes the sound of something. It can be words with sound meanings or even musicality. 

Auditory Imagery Example 

I'm not sure there is a more famous auditory imagery example than Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." It has that knocking on the door, which is both terrifying and an excellent way to learn this definition. 

 Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door— Only this and nothing more.”

Kinesthetic Imagery

Kinesthetic imagery describes the actions and movements of people on or with objects. They can be running your hand over something sharp or soft, creaking with physical movement, or stubbing your toe. 

Kinesthetic Imagery Example

In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, he writes about the feeling of the hustle and bustle of the town. He writes:

“With a wild rattle and clatter, and an inhuman abandonment of consideration not easy to be understood in these days, the carriage dashed through streets and swept round corners, with women screaming before it, and men clutching each other and clutching children out of its way. At last, swooping at a street corner by a fountain, one of its wheels came to a sickening little jolt, and there was a loud city from a number of voices, and the horses reared and plunged …” 

What Does "Poetic" Mean?

Poetic means words written in verse, or having to do with poetry. 

What Are Devices in Poetry?

There are five common literary devices found in poetry. Let’s go over each of them. 

Alliteration

An alliteration is the succession of words that all start with the same letter. Like how in V for Vendetta , the character of V only speaks in words that begin with V. 

Caesura and enjambment

Caesura is ​​a rhetorical break in the flow of sound in the middle of a line of verse. It goes hand in hand with enjambment, which is a sentence that runs from one verse or couplet into another, allowing related words to have new lines. 

As we are covering in this post, these are words that create images or other sensory feelings within our minds. 

Juxtaposition/oxymoron

Juxtaposition is a literary device that compares two things to one another by placing them side by side. For example, in The Wizard of Oz , we see how black and white and color represent two very different worlds for Dorothy. 

And an oxymoron is a figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear together. They are terms like, "jumbo shrimp" and "a silent scream."

Personification 

Personification is the giving of human characteristics to something nonhuman. In movies and TV, think of things like The Brave Little Toaster or any of the animals in Disney animated movies. 

What Is a Poetic Device?

The devices mentioned above are used in poetry in conjunction with imagery to transport the reader to a place in their minds.

They are all words that deepen the connection to the material and to each other. 

Poems with Graphical Elements

One of the visual elements I love seeing is the graphical element in poetry. They literally change the imagery of how the poem looks on the page. 

Graphical elements of a poem are things like capitalization, punctuation, length of the lines, and the positioning of the words on the page. 

These elements help form the "shape" of a poem and these shapes tell us a lot about a story. 

My absolute favorite example of this is Joan Bransfield Graham’s poem, “Popsicle.”

Examples of Imagery in Poetry

We’ve covered some of the poems that have different types of visuals, but let's look at a few prime examples of imagery in poetry. 

Alfred Tennyson writes a clear picture in "Summer Nights."

“ Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white; Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk; Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font: The firefly wakens: waken thou with me. Now droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost, And like a ghost she glimmers on to me. Now lies the Earth all Danaë to the stars, And all thy heart lies open unto me. Now slides the silent meteor on, and leaves A shining furrow, as thy thoughts in me. Now folds the lily all her sweetness up, And slips into the bosom of the lake. So fold thyself, my dearest, thou, and slip Into my bosom and be lost in me. ”

William Carlos Williams uses sensory imagery to make you hungry in "This Is Just to Say."

“ I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold ”

What Is "Literary"? The Literary Definition

Literary is having to do with literature or the written word. 

What Are Images in Literature?

When people write a novel or screenplay or a poem, they often use images to paint a picture of what the audience sees and hears. 

This helps define literature for the audience. 

These are worldbuilding tactics that help steep us in the point of view of the work. 

Examples of Imagery in Literature 

We covered a few of these above, but I picked several others I thought really nailed our cause. 

First, let's talk about ​​Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement , in which there is the most beautiful description of a cabinet I have ever read. 

“A taste for the miniature was one aspect of an orderly spirit. Another was a passion for secrets: in a prized varnished cabinet, a secret drawer was opened by pushing against the grain of a cleverly turned dovetail joint, and here she kept a diary locked by a clasp, and a notebook written in a code of her own invention. … An old tin petty cash box was hidden under a removable floorboard beneath her bed.” 

When it comes to making a town feel alive with imagery, check out Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird . There’s a wonderful excerpt about how Maycomb smells and feels live. 

“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then; a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’ clock naps, and by nightfall were like stiff teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. ”

Summing Up "What Is Imagery in Poetry and Literature?"

There's a lot to learn when it comes to the way we use language to communicate. We are visual creatures, whether that comes on the screen, or in our mind. Visuals are the ultimate communicator and can take us into our memories, our emotions, and anywhere else we can think about. 

What are some of your favorite uses of imagery in poetry in literature? we would love to know. Let us see some examples in the comments. 

  • What Is Personification? ›
  • Oxymoron Definition and Examples ›

What Are Table Reads and Why Should You Use Them?

Practice makes perfect. and builds chemistry. and helps you make important trims. so why aren't you holding table reads .

When you're making a movie or a TV show, you want the cast to have chemistry. It's hard to find ways to get strangers to embrace, especially when you're working on refining the action and dialogue.

But what if you could kill two birds with one stone? That's where table reads come in. These simple exercises give your cast time to interact and find chemistry and let you hear the dialogue out loud so you can make trims and refine each scene.

Today, we'll go over the art of table reads, how you can prep for them, and why they're important to the process.

So grab a water bottle and a name card, and let's go!

What is a table read?

A table read is a gathering of the cast, writer(s), and director where they read through the episode or feature. It's where everyone gets to hear the story out loud, take notes, and can circle up after to make revisions. In television, table reads are done prior to recording an episode so final edits can be made.

Table reads are an invaluable tool. If you're working on a pilot , they can help your cast gel before you shoot. On a feature, they can clue you into important changes that can affect or combines scenes to make your days easier to make.

How to organize a table read

The best table reads I've been to have lots of snacks, a few bottles of water per person, name cards with the actor/character and other crew positions, as well as printed out scripts so everyone can follow along. You'll also want an assortment of pens and pencils so that everyone can make notes as they go.

What Is The Purpose of Table Reads to Writers and Directors?

Table reads, also known as script readings or table readings, are beneficial to writers and directors for several reasons, serving as an essential part of the pre-production process in film, television, and theater. Here's why they are so valuable:

  • Performance Feedback : Table reads allow writers and directors to hear the script being read aloud by the actors for the first time. This provides immediate feedback on how dialogue and scenes play out in practice, highlighting what works well and what might need adjustment.
  • Script Refinement: Hearing the script read aloud can reveal issues with dialogue, pacing, or narrative structure that may not be apparent on the page. Writers can use this feedback to refine the script, making edits or adjustments to improve clarity, character development, and overall impact.
  • Actor Insights : Actors bring their own interpretations to the characters they portray. A table read gives actors the opportunity to provide their input on their characters' motivations and relationships, offering perspectives that writers and directors may not have considered. This collaboration can enrich character development and storytelling.
  • Chemistry and Dynamics : Table reads are a good opportunity to see the chemistry between actors and how well they fit their roles. This can be particularly important for ensembles, where the interaction between characters is crucial to the narrative's success.
  • Technical and Logistical Insights: For directors and the production team, hearing the script read aloud can help in visualizing scenes and planning shots, identifying potential technical or logistical issues that may arise during filming. It's an opportunity to think through scene transitions, special effects, and other production elements.
  • Team Building: Table reads serve as an introduction for the cast and crew, helping to build rapport and a sense of community before the start of production. This can enhance communication and collaboration throughout the filmmaking process.
  • Saving Time and Resources: Identifying and addressing issues during the table read can save significant time and resources during production. It's much easier and less costly to make changes to a script during pre-production than to revise scenes that have already been shot.
  • Emotional Impact and Engagement: Finally, table reads can be a powerful way to gauge the emotional impact of the script. Writers and directors can see firsthand how certain scenes or moments resonate with the cast and, by extension, predict how they might affect the audience.

By providing a space for creative collaboration, feedback, and refinement, table reads are an invaluable tool in the development of a film, TV show, or theater production, helping to ensure that the final product is as strong as it can be.

Table read example

Table reads are common in both film and television. Often, we don't get to read the scripts of our favorite episodes or movies, so I love watching table reads to hear how the action is written and the dialogue pops. One of my favorite table reads to watch is this one from Breaking Bad.

It's easy to see these images in our minds. The description of Walt and his journey really play well. I love seeing actors hop into roles and the subtle inflection they give each line. You can see the polish and nuance to the characterizations.

Table reads are also important in comedy.

You want to get jokes, alternate lines, and build the best half-hour of humor possible.

This table read from Family Guy shows you how they get the script completely dialed in. They have to do these reads no just for chemistry but because they're going to send these shows off to be animated. They have to get the scripts edited and cut perfectly so they don't waste time animating stuff that hits the edit bay floor.

Finally, I want to look at this table read example from Beauty and the Beast . Disney puts a lot of money into their live-action remakes. We know they practice choreography and fight scenes, so it's refreshing to see them putting the same amount of effort into the script and portrayals themselves. I love the way you can instantly see actors pivoting tone and inflection.

As a writer, sometimes I've lived so long with a character that I forget other people on the crew have to find them as well. These table reads and perfect moments for people to put their own spin on the voices within the story and begin to find the movement and diction that suits each role.

What's next? Three Conversation Writing Tips from the 'Before' Trilogy !

I don't think there is a more romantic movie than "Before Sunrise". Unless it's "Before Sunset". Or "Before Midnight" . But aside from the romance, the conversations in these movies are what makes them sing. We go to the movies to see human stories unfold. We love characters, their arcs , development , and story beats, but almost every movie is held together by a series of conversations that act as connective tissue. Conversations that get across wants, desires, exposition, and emotion.

So, how can you write a great conversation?

Learn from three movies that do conversations better than anyone else.

OpenAI’s Insanely Powerful Text-to-Video Model ‘Sora’ is Here

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Get Free high-resolution PDF of How to Write a Screenplay

Visual Imagery

Definition of visual imagery.

Imagery is one of the most-used literary devices that allows the writer to sketch or paint the pictures of his choice in the reader’s mind. It triggers the senses and produces a picture in imagination. In literature, it helps the reader to feel the situations, emotions, setting , and characters more deeply and profoundly. Visual imagery helps to form a mental image and evoke imagination. The writer uses visual qualities i.e., color, shape, light, pattern, even shadows, etc., to allow the reader to better perceive the glimpse of his suggested vision. It helps the writer to engage the reader more actively in the text. In short, it opens a whole new world in front of a reader to explore. You can read about imagery here – https://literarydevices.net/imagery/

Visual Imagery In Poems

In poetries, visual imagery plays a major role. It helps the poet to intensify the impact and strength of his words. Furthermore, visual imagery beautifies the language and leaves a long-lasting impression in the reader’s mind. Some examples taken from well-known poems are given below.

Prelude by T.S. Elliot’s

On broken blinds and chimney-pots, And at the corner of the street A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps. And then the lighting of the lamps

In ‘Prelude’ Elliot brings forth clear images of the wintry evening in the reader’s mind with minute details. It also includes the scene on the street with lights, smoke, and terrible conditions seen by the speaker .

Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost ’s

Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow . My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year.

The entire scene of ‘snowy evening’ is brimming with visual images of snow. The poet also gives us the visual imagery of the woods and the lake during the winter season, especially when the sun has gone down.

Summer Night by Alfred Tennyson

Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white; Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk; Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font: The firefly wakens: waken thou with me. Now droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost, And like a ghost she glimmers on to me. Now lies the Earth all Danaë to the stars, And all thy heart lies open unto me. Now slides the silent meteor on, and leaves A shining furrow, as thy thoughts in me.

In this Alfred Tennyson has made great use of visual imagery. The beautiful description through this literary device enhances the beauty of “summer night” as we see the vivid visuals of fireflies, starlit sky, and nature during summer.

Kubla Khan by S. T. Coleridge

The shadow of the dome of pleasure Floated midway on the waves; Where we heard the mingled measure From the fountain and the caves.

Here the attractive and appealing description of the dome that is floating on the river waves is one of the best examples of visual imagery in poetry.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees , Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood , They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

The first and the last stanza of this poem is rich with visual imagery.  The poet has used the imagery in an impressive way that strikes strongly and appealingly to our visual senses as well as the others. The readers can visualize the meadows, and flowers and experience peace.

Visual Imagery In Shakespearean Work

William Shakespeare is one of the best authors who has inspired many literary works. The visual imagery that is presented in Shakespeare’s works has an outstanding impact on their absolute performance and evokes strong feelings in the reader’s and the beholder’s minds.

Is this a dagger which I see before me the handle towards my hand? “
“Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood; stop up the access and passage to remorse. Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry ‘Hold, hold! ’ – Lady Macbeth ’s soliloquy
“Never shake thy gory locks at me ” Macbeth to Banquo’s ghost.
This is the very painting of your fear ” Lady Macbeth to her husband.

The above-given examples from Macbeth are the proof that Shakespeare had used his descriptive visual aids in his language to trigger and charge the reader emotionally, such as seeing the dagger in one’s hand, Lady Macbeth’s murderous intent on killing the King, Banquo’s hair and dreadful looks, and fear on Macbeth’s face.

The Tempest

…of his bones are coral made Those are pearls that were his eyes Nothing of him that doth change But doth suffer a sea-changeInto something rich and strange…”

This play is also one of the masterpieces of Shakespeare that is rich in visual imagery. These lines have the most captivating and bewitching visual imagery that we can see as it shows the enchanting land with its ethereal quality as described by Ariel.

Visual Imagery In The Bible

In literature, visual imagery can be found in many places. The Bible is one of the best examples of literature with rich literary devices. Especially the old testament is full of images and visual impressions to enhance the depth of the topic and theme , some examples are as follows.

Your word is a lamp to my feetand a light to my path. (Nun)
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12:
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammerthat breaks a rock in pieces?” – Jeremiah 23:29
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. – James 1:22-25

The lamp is used here as an image of God’s revelation and knowledge. Here the Bible and the words are described as a double-edged sword. Here the fire of knowledge is enough to melt or smashes away the stony heart into true repentance of sin. So the hard stony heart turns into the heart of flesh and blood. In an up-given verse , the “mirror” is an image used for an insight view of a man.

A Few More Examples Of Visual Imagery

You can also use visual imagery in daily conversation helps the writer to show not only tells. The range of this imagery can be from objects to something unusual.

James took the torn and faded leather-bound diary from Sonia. As he opened the cover, dried rose petals fell on the ground like dust.
Ashely leaned back slowly on her soft, pink couch, holding her sugary crystal drink. She loved watching the sun setting down as the water shimmered in shades of orange, red, and gold.
Tucker carelessly flipped through the pages, while eating a spoonful of yogurt, with chin in his hand, he looked at the heading of today’s newspaper on Page 5. He opened his mouth in shock, sat up straight, and took off his glasses.

Effects Of Visual Imagery

No doubt visual imagery links with the perceptual processes and helps to improve memory. It has a better deep impact on the human brain to recall images. Sometimes it can be treated as a stress balancing tool; it helps the writer to calm the reader through his pictorial details.

“The soul never thinks without an image.” –Aristotle

In short visual imagery helps the writer to bring every detail to life that he wants to show. It gives a realistic touch to a piece of writing and draws the reader’s interest. It makes the writing more functional and effective through its direct impact. Lastly, it is “the art of showing not telling”.

Related posts:

  • Gustatory Imagery
  • Tactile Imagery
  • Olfactory Imagery
  • Kinesthetic Imagery
  • Auditory Imagery
  • Examples of Imagery in Poetry
  • Hamlet Act-I, Scene-I Study Guide

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Understanding Imagery: A Comprehensive Guide

What is imagery, types of imagery, how to use imagery in literature, imagery in poetry, imagery in prose, examples of imagery, imagery and the five senses, why imagery matters in writing.

If you've ever found yourself transported to another time or place while reading a book, you've experienced the power of imagery. It's the secret sauce that makes words come alive and paints vivid pictures in our minds. But what is the definition of imagery, and how does it work? Let's dive in and explore.

Imagery refers to the use of descriptive language to create visual representations of actions, objects, or ideas in our mind. It goes beyond mere words to conjure up sensory experiences that make us see, hear, taste, touch, or smell what the writer is describing. In short, it's like a virtual reality experience, but with words!

So, when we talk about the definition of imagery, we're referring to:

  • Visually descriptive language: This is where a writer describes a scene, person, or object in detail, helping you to paint a mental picture. For example, "The sun set over the ocean, painting the sky with hues of orange and red."
  • Figurative language: This is when a writer uses similes, metaphors, personification, and other literary devices to create vivid images. For example, "Her eyes sparkled like diamonds."
  • Visual symbolism: Here, a writer uses an image or symbol to represent a bigger idea or concept. For example, a bird flying free could symbolize liberation or freedom.

Imagery is a powerful tool in writing and can transform a simple narrative into an immersive sensory experience. So, the next time you read a book or poem, pay close attention. You might be surprised at how much imagery you find!

Imagery can be as diverse as the world around us, and writers often use different types of imagery to create a richer experience for readers. Here are the main types:

  • Visual Imagery: This is the most common type of imagery, and it's all about creating a picture in your mind. For instance, "The ancient oak tree towered above the meadow, its gnarled branches reaching out like twisted hands."
  • Auditory Imagery: This type of imagery uses words to simulate sounds. For example, "The leaves rustled in the breeze, whispering secrets to anyone who'd listen."
  • Olfactory Imagery: Ever smelt something so vividly while reading? That's olfactory imagery at work! An example might be, "The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from the kitchen, instantly transporting me back to my grandmother's house."
  • Gustatory Imagery: This imagery type deals with taste. For instance, "The tangy burst of the lemon tart awakened my taste buds, its sweet-sour flavor dancing on my tongue."
  • Tactile Imagery: This involves the sense of touch. An example would be, "The cold metal of the doorknob bit into my palm, its icy grip sending shivers down my spine."
  • Kinesthetic Imagery: This type of imagery deals with movement and action. For example, "His heart raced as he sprinted towards the finish line, every muscle straining with effort."
  • Organic Imagery: This refers to personal experiences of the body's internal sensations, like hunger, thirst, fatigue, or fear. For instance, "A knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach, making her feel sick with worry."

By using different types of imagery, writers can create a multi-sensory experience that makes their work more engaging and immersive. Isn't that fascinating?

Now that we've got our definition of imagery down, how do we go about using it in literature? Here are some practical steps to help you incorporate imagery into your writing.

  • Set the Scene: Start by painting a picture of the surroundings. Use imagery to describe the setting and the atmosphere. What does the place look like? What sounds are present? How does it smell? Remember to engage the reader's senses.
  • Describe the Characters: Imagery isn't just for settings! You can use it to describe your characters as well. What are they wearing? How do they move? What expressions are on their faces?
  • Show, Don't Tell: Imagery is all about showing your readers what's happening, rather than telling them. Instead of saying "She was scared," you could write, "Her heart pounded like a drum, her hands shaking as if they had a life of their own."
  • Use Metaphors and Similes: These literary devices are great for creating powerful imagery. A simile could be something like "Her eyes were as cold as ice," while a metaphor might be something like "He was a rock, unmoving and sturdy."
  • Be Specific: The more specific your descriptions, the better. Instead of saying "The tree was tall," you could say, "The ancient oak towered over the rest of the forest, like a silent guardian watching over its realm."

Imagery is a powerful tool in literature, and with practice, you can use it to bring your stories to life. So why not give it a try? Remember: the goal is to make your readers feel like they're right there with the characters, experiencing the story first-hand.

Let's turn our attention to poetry, a literary form where the definition of imagery truly shines. Poetry often relies on vivid and evocative language to create a deep, emotional connection with the reader. And imagery? Well, it's the golden ticket to make this happen.

When a poet uses imagery, they are not just telling you about a sunset, they make you feel the warm, orange glow on your skin, see the brilliant streaks of red and purple across the sky, and smell the faint fragrance of the evening air. That's the magic of imagery in poetry - it brings words to life.

  • Convey Emotions: Poets often use imagery to convey complex emotions. For instance, the image of a "rose with thorns" can symbolize the bitter-sweet nature of love.
  • Illustrate Abstract Ideas: Abstract ideas can be hard to grasp. But with the use of imagery, poets can make these ideas tangible. Consider the concept of 'time' - it can be pictured as a "relentless river" or "sands in an hourglass".
  • Enhance the Rhythm: Imagery can add rhythm and flow to a poem. The right image can make the words dance in a reader's mind, enhancing the overall aesthetic experience of the poem.
  • Symbolism: In poetry, imagery often carries symbolic meanings. A "dove" might represent peace, or a "raven" might symbolize death or doom.

Remember, when it comes to poetry, the power of imagery lies in its ability to evoke emotions and create a vivid, sensory experience for the reader. So, next time you read or write a poem, pay attention to the imagery - it's the heart and soul of poetry.

Now, let's shift gears and talk about prose. You might think that the definition of imagery is only relevant to the realm of poetry, but that's not the case. Imagery plays a significant role in prose as well, including novels, short stories, and even non-fiction.

Imagery in prose isn't just about painting a pretty picture. It's about immersing readers into the world of the story, making them feel as though they're walking alongside the characters, experiencing the same sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures.

Let's break down a few ways authors use imagery in prose:

  • Setting the Scene: Authors often use imagery to describe the setting, helping readers visualize the story's environment. For example, an author might describe a bustling city street with honking cars, towering skyscrapers, and the aroma of street food wafting through the air.
  • Characterization: Imagery can be used to reveal character traits too. A character who "always has a book in hand" paints a very different picture than one who "spends his days tinkering with old car engines".
  • Creating Mood and Atmosphere: Through imagery, authors can create a specific mood or atmosphere. For instance, a "dark, stormy night" can set an ominous tone, while a "bright, sunny meadow" might suggest a more cheerful mood.
  • Driving the Plot: Sometimes, imagery can be critical to moving the plot forward. A "forgotten letter under the bed" or a "key hidden in a dusty book" can trigger a new chain of events in the story.

So, the next time you pick up a novel or a short story, keep an eye out for how the author uses imagery. It's the secret ingredient that brings the story to life and makes the prose sing.

Now that we understand the definition of imagery, let's look at some examples. This will give you a clearer picture—pun intended—of how authors use this literary tool to bring their writing to life.

  • Visual Imagery: "The sky was painted with a blend of reds and oranges, and the sun slowly sank, casting long, dramatic shadows."
  • Auditory Imagery: "The leaves rustled in the wind, and the distant hoot of an owl echoed through the silent forest."
  • Olfactory Imagery: "The air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming jasmine, intertwined with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee."
  • Gustatory Imagery: "The first bite of the apple was crisp and tart, sending a burst of juicy sweetness across the palate."
  • Tactile Imagery: "The woolen blanket was soft and warm against her skin, providing comfort against the icy chill."
  • Kinesthetic Imagery: "Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath quickened, and her legs felt like jelly as she ran."
  • Organic Imagery: "His stomach churned with nervous anticipation as he waited for his turn to speak."

These examples should give you a sense of the different ways authors use imagery to evoke sensory experiences and emotions in their readers. Remember, the purpose of imagery isn't just to describe—it's to make readers feel as though they are part of the story, experiencing it firsthand.

Imagery plays a key role in engaging our five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. But why is that so important? Well, it's simple: when we read, we don't just want to understand the story—we want to experience it.

Imagine you're reading a book about a chef who's preparing a meal. The author could simply write, "The chef cooked a steak." Sure, you understand what's happening, but it's not very exciting, is it?

Now, imagine the author wrote: "The chef's knife sliced through the tender steak with ease. The sizzle of the meat on the hot cast-iron skillet filled the room, accompanied by the mouthwatering aroma of garlic and rosemary. As he tasted the dish, the rich flavors of the perfectly seasoned steak exploded on his tongue."

Quite a difference, right? The second description uses imagery to engage all five senses, placing you right there in the kitchen with the chef. That's the power of imagery.

So, as you explore the definition of imagery further, remember that it's not just about painting a picture—it's about creating an experience. A good writer doesn't just tell us what's happening—they make us feel it, taste it, smell it, hear it, and see it. And that's what makes a story truly come alive.

Now that we've gotten a taste of what imagery can do, you might be asking, "Why does it matter so much in writing?"

Well, remember the chef and the steak from our earlier discussion? Without imagery, that scene would be bland and uninteresting. With imagery, it became a sensory feast that made your mouth water. The same principle applies to all forms of writing, whether it's a novel, a poem, a blog post, or even a news article.

Imagery acts like a spice in the dish that is your writing. It adds flavor, depth, and richness, turning a basic meal into a gourmet experience. It draws readers in, making them feel connected to the story and invested in what happens next. In other words, it transforms words on a page into a living, breathing world.

So, the next time you sit down to write something, remember the definition of imagery, and ask yourself: How can I make my reader see, hear, taste, smell, and touch my story? How can I make them feel like they're living it, not just reading it?

Because at the end of the day, that's what great writing is all about: creating experiences, not just telling stories. And that's why imagery matters so much in writing.

If you're looking to further develop your understanding of imagery and want to apply it to creating immersive and captivating worlds, check out the workshop ' Visual Development for Fantasy World-Building ' by Kit Buss. This workshop will help you enhance your visual storytelling skills and guide you in creating stunning, fantastical environments that leave a lasting impression on your audience.

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IMAGES

  1. Imagery: Definition and Examples

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  2. Imagery: Definition and Useful Examples of Imagery in Speech and

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  3. What is Imagery in Literature? Definition and Examples

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  4. 5 Types of Imagery in English Literature

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  5. Imagery Literary Device: Definition, Types, and Examples in 2024

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  6. PPT

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VIDEO

  1. Literature Review

  2. Review of literature

  3. Approaches to searching the literature

  4. Literature Review PART I

  5. What is Literature??

COMMENTS

  1. Imagery

    Imagery is a literary device that refers to the use of figurative language to evoke a sensory experience or create a picture with words for a reader. By utilizing effective descriptive language and figures of speech, writers appeal to a reader's senses of sight, taste, smell, touch, and sound, as well as internal emotion and feelings.

  2. Imagery

    Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages the senses of touch, movement, and hearing: "I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.

  3. Imagery: Definition and Examples

    Quiz I. What is Imagery? Imagery is language used by poets, novelists and other writers to create images in the mind of the reader. Imagery includes figurative and metaphorical language to improve the reader's experience through their senses. II. Examples of Imagery Example 1 Imagery using visuals:

  4. Imagery in Literature: Definition & Examples

    Imagery (ih-MUHJ-ree) is a literary device that allows writers to paint pictures in readers' minds so they can more easily imagine a story's situations, characters, emotions, and settings. A good way to understand imagery is to think of the word imagination.

  5. What is Imagery

    Imagery is a literary device used in poetry, novels, and other writing that uses vivid description that appeals to a readers' senses to create an image or idea in their head. Through language, imagery does not only paint a picture, but aims to portray the sensational and emotional experience within text.

  6. Imagery Definition: 5+ Types of Imagery in Literature

    Imagery definition: language that stimulates the reader's senses. For the most part, imagery in literature focuses on concrete senses—things you can physically experience. However, internal experiences and emotions also count, and later in this article, we dive into how to properly write organic imagery.

  7. What is Imagery? || Oregon State Guide to Literary Terms

    Guide to Literary Terms BA in English Degree BA in Creative Writing Degree Oregon State Admissions Info What is Imagery? Transcript (English and Spanish Subtitles Available, Click HERE for Spanish Transcript.) By Raymond Malewitz, Oregon State University Associate Professor of American Literature

  8. Imagery Examples and Definition

    As a literary device, imagery consists of descriptive language that can function as a way for the reader to better imagine the world of the piece of literature and also add symbolism to the work. Imagery draws on the five senses, namely the details of taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound.

  9. Imagery

    A rather vague critical term covering those uses of language in a literary work that evoke sense-impressions by literal or figurative reference to perceptible or 'concrete' objects, scenes, actions, or states, as distinct from the language of abstract argument or exposition.

  10. What is Imagery in Literature? Definition, Examples of Literary Imagery

    Imagery involves using figurative and/or metaphorical language that helps the reader to imagine the world created in the literature that they are reading. This allows the reader to develop a deeper understanding of the world about which they are reading.

  11. What is Imagery in Literature? Definition and Examples

    Imagery is a literary device that uses descriptive language to create mental images for the reader. This can be used to give context to the events of your story, to immerse your reader in an unfamiliar setting, to communicate mood and tone for a particular scene, or to create an emotional response in your reader.

  12. Imagery Literary Device: Definition, Types, and Examples in 2024

    So, exactly what is imagery in literature? Imagery, in any sort of writing, encompasses the use of literal or figurative language to add symbolism and enable the reader to imagine the world of the piece of literature. In other words, it engages the senses to deepen the reader's comprehension of what is happening and how to feel about it.

  13. What Is Imagery? A Complete Guide

    Literal Imagery: Examples and Explanation With literal imagery, a writer is literally describing things to the reader. (Pretty straightforward, huh?) Writers often use literal imagery to describe the setting, characters, and situation for a reader.

  14. Imagery

    Explore the glossary of poetic terms. Imagery refers to language in a poem representing a sensory experience, including visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and gustatory. Imagery uses vivid and figurative language to engage the senses and depict an object, person, scene, or feeling.

  15. What is Imagery? Literary Definition of Imagery With Examples

    Imagery is descriptive language used to appeal to a reader's senses: touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight. By adding these details, it makes our writing more interesting. Here is an example of how adding imagery enhances your writing. Original sentence: She drank water on a hot day.

  16. What Is Imagery? 5 Types and Examples

    Imagery is a literary device that uses figurative language to describe objects, actions, and ideas in a way that appeals to the physical senses and helps readers to picture the scene as if it were real. The term imagery can be a bit misleading. Though figurative langauge can be used to describe the visual appearance of something, imagery also ...

  17. Imagery in Writing: Definition and Examples

    Imagery in writing. Writers use imagery to generate a physical or emotional response in the reader. One way to do this is through evocative adjectives. For example, using "shimmering" or "blinding" instead of "bright," or "piercing" instead of "loud.". There is also a lot of potential for imagery in verbs since those are the ...

  18. Imagery in Literature: Tools for Imagination

    Imagery is one of the most important techniques in fiction writing. It is how the author creates a mental image for the reader using descriptive language. This creates more engaging writing readers can't put down. Imagery creates the mood or setting for the story. It's important to understand imagery to build your writing skills.

  19. What Is Imagery in Poetry and Literature?

    Sensory imagery involves the use of descriptive language to create mental images. In literary terms, sensory imagery is a type of imagery—the difference is that sensory imagery works by engaging a reader's five senses. Any description of sensory experience in writing can be considered sensory imagery.

  20. Visual Imagery

    Definition of Visual Imagery. Imagery is one of the most-used literary devices that allows the writer to sketch or paint the pictures of his choice in the reader's mind. It triggers the senses and produces a picture in imagination. In literature, it helps the reader to feel the situations, emotions, setting, and characters more deeply and profoundly. . Visual imagery helps to form a mental ...

  21. Understanding Imagery: A Comprehensive Guide

    Examples of Imagery. Now that we understand the definition of imagery, let's look at some examples. This will give you a clearer picture—pun intended—of how authors use this literary tool to bring their writing to life. Visual Imagery: "The sky was painted with a blend of reds and oranges, and the sun slowly sank, casting long, dramatic ...

  22. Imagery

    Imagery is visual symbolism, or figurative language that evokes a mental image or other kinds of sense impressions, especially in a literary work, but also in other activities such as psychotherapy. Imagery in literature can also be instrumental in conveying tone. [1] Forms

  23. Imagery & Symbolism in Literature

    Imagery in literature is achieved when a writer uses sensory language to appeal to the reader's senses and is often referred to as sensory description. These descriptions are used to help readers ...