Literal and Figurative
The distinction is a starting point, not an answer
- The objective is to distinguish between the literal and figurative meanings of words and phrases.
- Distinguishing is the skill; deciding which one applies is often not the point.
- In poetry both frequently apply at once, and that is where the analysis lives.
Multiple meanings add complexity
- Words with multiple meanings or connotations add nuance or complexity that can contribute to interpretations of a text.
- So a word that could mean two things is not a problem to solve.
- It is a resource, and the poem usually put it there deliberately.
A word with two possible meanings in a poem is...
The poem usually put it there deliberately.
Denotation and connotation
- A word's literal meaning is what it denotes; its connotations are what it brings with it.
- Slender and scrawny denote nearly the same thing and connote opposite judgements.
- The CED's phrase is meanings or connotations — both count as evidence.
Denotation, connotation, or both meanings at once?
Sort each observation about word choice.
"Slender" and "scrawny" denote nearly the same thing but connote opposite judgements.
The CED counts both meanings and connotations as contributing to interpretation.
Do not leap over the literal. A line often has a plain sense that is doing real work, and a symbolic reading that ignores it is usually weaker, not deeper. Establish what the words denote first; the figurative reading is strongest when it sits on top of the literal one.
Before reading a phrase figuratively, say what it means ____.
The figurative reading is strongest built on top of the literal one.
Start literal, always
- Before reading a phrase figuratively, say what it means literally.
- Many wrong readings come from leaping to symbolism over a sentence that had a plain sense.
- The figurative reading is stronger when it is built on top of the literal one, not instead of it.
Select all the questions in the two-meaning pass.
Frequency is not a source of meaning.
Match each reading of "she kept the house" to its type.
The poem uses all three, and the ambiguity is the point.
A two-meaning pass
- For each key word: what does it denote, and what does it connote?
- Could it be read literally here? Could it be read figuratively?
- If both, say so — that is the nuance the CED is pointing at.
"She kept the house." Literally: she did the housework, or she retained ownership after a death. Figuratively: she maintained something the family had. The poem uses all three, and the ambiguity is the point — a reading that picks one has thrown away two-thirds of the evidence.
Distinguish literal from figurative — but in poetry both often apply at once. Words with multiple meanings or connotations add nuance or complexity that contributes to interpretation. Establish the literal sense first; the figurative reading is strongest built on top of it.