Imagery
Literary term · say it IM-ij-ree
Imagery is descriptive language that appeals to sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch. It helps readers imagine a scene or experience more clearly, and can also suggest a mood or feeling.
Three common kinds of imagery
Visual imagery
Visual imagery appeals to sight through details such as colour, shape, light, and movement.
In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby stretches his arms towards a small green light across the dark water.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Sound imagery
Sound imagery appeals to hearing through details such as ringing, whispering, footsteps, or silence.
In The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator hears what seems to be an increasingly loud heartbeat while the police sit nearby.
In The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
Touch imagery
Touch imagery suggests physical sensations, such as cold, warmth, roughness, or pressure.
In A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit tries to warm himself at a candle because the tiny fire in his workspace gives so little heat.
In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
How to spot imagery
- Look for details that appeal to a particular sense.
- Notice words that suggest colour, sound, smell, taste, or texture.
- Ask what those sensory details help you imagine or feel.
Does imagery only mean visual description?
No, imagery can appeal to any of the five senses, not just sight. A description of bitter coffee, damp clothes, or distant bells can be imagery even when it offers little to picture.
What is the difference between imagery and metaphor?
Imagery appeals to the senses, while metaphor describes one thing as another. They can overlap: describing clouds as wool uses metaphor and visual imagery, but describing their pale colour uses imagery without metaphor.
Related terms
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