
Originally Posted by
EmmaSohan
1. My melancholy was like a ripening fruit. (simile)
2. My melancholy was a ripening fruit. (metaphor)
3. My melancholy ripened.
Which do you like? #3 is from The King of Lies; I like the author's choice.
I don't know what to call #3; I have made up my own word, and others call it a metaphor. Since melancholy cannot literally ripen, the reader is forced to think metaphorically. As far as I know, the "impossible word" can be a verb, noun, adverb, adjective, and maybe even a preposition. Personification would be one small part of this type of metaphor (or whatever you want to call it.)
In looking at books this week, I have been surprised at how much good writers of metaphors and similes don't follow the classic form. Isn't "nothing sandwich" in this category? It again forces us to think metaphorically.
Bookmarks