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| Tips & Advice Share your tips, tricks and advice. |
11-05-2005, 01:35 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Texas, USA
Gender: Male
Posts: 21
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The Importance of Symbolism
I've often been confused at how to incorporate symbolism into my stories. Not only that, but allusions, and other complex elements. My stories tend to shift into an existentialist point-of-view somehow, and while they start as detail-driven, they eventually focus on the thoughts of the mind.
I suppose my question is... is it better to incorporate symbolism rather than 'tell-it-like-it-is', and if so, how does one learn to do that?
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11-05-2005, 02:02 PM
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#2
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Sweden
Gender: Male
Posts: 325
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Well i guess it depends on what you mean.I can't say I really ''got'' you there. In any case, an item or situation(or person etc) can easily be turned into a symbol by describing some identification properties that make the said object stand out(turning them into a symbol). Consider some ''symbols'' and learn from them(death is a symbol...you think reaper,dark hooded creature,eternal etc etc).
I don't know what I'm talking about.
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11-06-2005, 08:45 AM
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#3
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Wordsmith
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Back 'home' on Tinian!
Gender: Female
Posts: 11,445
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how one learns to write anything well, is by reading lots of the best examples of whatever it is you want to write...
as far as the 'is it better' question goes, there's no better or worse between the two... either can work well if written well, or not work at all, if written poorly...
sounds to me as if you need to do more studying/practicing of the basics of good writing and do lots more reading of the best examples, by the best writers of our time and of ages past...
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11-10-2005, 10:54 AM
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#4
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 245
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I totally agree with Mia. However, symbolism does have its beauty if it's executed well. Best of luck!  |
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11-10-2005, 12:39 PM
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#5
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Nov 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 209
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Symbolism
If you want some good examples of symbolism, you should try reading the short story by Edgar Allen Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher. That short story has plenty of symbols in it, and it is pretty thought provoking. I recommend you try and see what you can get out of that story and then see where you stand.
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11-10-2005, 05:45 PM
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#6
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Best Seller
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 746
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I don't really like symbolism. I've seen some stories that rely way too much on symbolism, to the point that the actual story becomes thin without it.
In other words, unless you really know why your story needs symbols, don't use them.
Really, I think they're just something that a lot of English teachers and lit majors like getting off to because they've been told they're good, without any real justification.
The Christ Figure is particularly annoying, especially if you don't give a flip about Christianity.
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11-10-2005, 05:49 PM
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#7
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Ink Slinger
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 4,826
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Yeah I agree, in High School teachers have tendency to say everything is a symbol even it really isn't, which kind of gives people the idea that there is a lot of symbolism in books, when there really isn't that much.
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11-10-2005, 06:38 PM
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#8
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Scribe
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 86
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From what I've read symbolism is important because it can infer a meaning to something you might not usually think of. For instance the way you describe an object in your story, or the way it's used can give a double-meaning to the actions your characters take. This can help to give your story multiple-layers of meaning.
I agree that you the more literature you read the more you see how symbolism and other writing tools work.
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11-11-2005, 06:28 PM
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#9
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Best Seller
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 746
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"This can help to give your story multiple-layers of meaning."
Not really, unless you're writing an allegory or something. If you're just including symbolism for... multiple layers of meaning, the meaning may not mean much.
Why can't a sailboat just be a sailboat?
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11-11-2005, 06:34 PM
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#10
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Ink Slinger
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 4,826
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Quote:
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Why can't a sailboat just be a sailboat?
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True. |
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11-11-2005, 07:05 PM
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#11
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Profound Writer
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Glasgow, UK
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,120
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by suzakugaiden
Why can't a sailboat just be a sailboat?
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It is, while, for example, being a representation of a character's lifestyle.
Carefree John would be best suited to a sailboat because of his life lived without direction in much the same way the boat is at the mercy of the wind. |
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11-13-2005, 01:15 AM
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#12
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Best Seller
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 746
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Unless John disliked water.
Although if he's carefree and likes water, then in that case, the sailboat's just a symbol of this insofar as a man eating a pizza is symbolic of the man's like for pizza.
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11-14-2005, 03:24 PM
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#13
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: I'm right here!
Gender: Female
Posts: 24
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are you sure you wnt to?
hey,
dont feel you totally have to put some symbolism in your writing just because every great writer -eg shakespear- does it.maybe it's not your kind.besides,who will,after all,ask the writer " humm,sorry-but what does the pearl necklace mean?  " be sure that they are not paying enough attention to your plot if they are on the watch for hidden messages.....
of course,you most probably do want to have some of it,and you've thought it out long enough...
in that case,destroy any evidence that i tried...
xxx
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