Pathetic fallacy
Literary term · say it puh-THET-ik FAL-uh-see
Pathetic fallacy is the description of nature or surroundings as if they have human feelings. A storm may seem angry, or flowers joyful, making the world around a character appear to share an emotion.
Two ways pathetic fallacy appears
Nature sharing distress
Storms, wind, or darkness can seem to share human anger, grief, or fear. The surroundings appear emotionally involved in what is happening.
In King Lear, Lear faces a violent storm on the heath as his anger and suffering overwhelm him. The raging weather seems to share his inner turmoil.
In King Lear by William Shakespeare
Nature sharing joy
Flowers, sunshine, or waves can seem cheerful or welcoming. Their apparent happiness connects the landscape with human pleasure.
In I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, the daffodils seem to dance happily beside the lake. Their apparent joy lifts the speaker’s spirits and later comforts him in memory.
In I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth
How to spot pathetic fallacy
- Look for descriptions of weather, plants, or landscapes.
- Notice words that give these things human feelings.
- Compare those feelings with the emotions of the people in the passage.
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What is the difference between pathetic fallacy and personification?
Pathetic fallacy gives human feelings to nature or surroundings, while personification gives human qualities more broadly to nonhuman things. A grieving sky suggests pathetic fallacy; a clock with hands does not, because hands alone suggest no emotion.
Does any storm in a story count as pathetic fallacy?
No, a storm alone is not enough: the description must suggest human feeling or connect the weather with an emotional state. Rain that merely delays a journey is part of the setting, not necessarily pathetic fallacy.
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