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There is only one thing which can master the perplexed stuff of epic material into unity; and that is, an ability to see in particular human experience some significant symbolism of man's general destiny. ~~Lascelles Abercrombie
When you have spent an important part of your life playing Let's Pretend, it's often easy to see symbolism where none exists. ~~Gene Tierney
Being a literature major, you know, I'm very familiar with the ways symbolism is used in our sort of mythic tales of society, so anyone who is consciously trying to pull that off I think is really interesting and clearly very smart. ~~Carrie Coon
Symbolism is no mere idle fancy or corrupt degeneration: it is inherent in the very texture of human life.
~~Alfred North Whitehead
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Recently while rereading many bits and pieces I wrote over the past almost twenty years, I have noticed recurring themes in my work and these tend to be those of doors, gates, and windows...opened, closed, cracked, unhinged, dusty, cob-webbed, or sparkling clean. Openings of a sort going beyond into cloud openings, the hint of a path, a crack in a stone cliff, or an archway. Then, on a separate mission, going through reams of photos I've taken, I noticed the same sort of image in various ways seems to catch my photographic eye. Odd choice of words there, perchance, as eyes are another 'opening/closing' that I seem to focus on. Flowers just before they burst into bloom, the sky just before that moment of glory, or trees coated in that green glow before they are fully leafed. Beginnings or endings, I suppose. And yet, isn't that what our writing encompasses? For me, apparently, it does. And these realizations got me thinking.
In King Lear, which (in case you are unfamiliar with the play has the theme of eyesight/seeing/recognizing (in numerous forms)) there are 437 references to 'seeing' threaded throughout. The eye of the needle sewing it artfully together. The Mockingbird symbolizes innocence destroyed in To Kill A Mockingbird which is also employed in the mocking jay in the Hunger Games series as one who overcomes and fights back against that destruction. In Night by Elie Wiesel, the 'night' is symbolic of death, darkness, or a loss of faith in the death camps of the Holocaust.
It has been said that symbolism is one of the things that raises writing to an art form. The use of symbolism may let an author paint that visual with words such that the symbols linger in the back of the mind as they are used in varying ways and each time refines, strengthens, or reinforces the concept behind the actual objects. Symbols can be people, places, things, feelings, or holidays to name a few. They can help bridge the gap between writer and reader and pull the reader even further into the story.
Every reader brings themselves into what they read. Their fears, their strengths, their ideologies, their loves, and their pet peeves all color the how of their interpretation of the words on the page. As the writer paints the word pictures for the reader to envision, both add to the overall picture and how it is received. The writer isn't writing in a vacuum but into the world experiences of each reader.
One form of symbolism uses things/objects that have a common association across people and/or cultures. Red for anger. Green for financial concepts or a full-speed-ahead idea. This is different for a more contextual association where the symbolism is idea-specific to a particular work or series. In this case, a symbol is introduced and the concept associated with it is developed over time, becoming a motif within the framework of the tale. With that time and repeated use, the symbol gains depth and a greater reader understanding as well as power along the way.
As a writer, these devices can be a lot of fun to work with and develop as well as being a fun challenge to undertake.
Earlier, I mentioned that I seem to have a penchant for using windows and doors. Open. Shuttered. Barred. Shattered. Padlocked. Curtained. Bare. Curtained. So much to work with and a wide variety of ways to interpret and use. Funny how I hadn't even noticed how often I used them. Fun too, to go back and play with the ideas even more!
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For Authors: June 21, 2023 Issue [#12028]
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