Symbolism, a loosely organized literary and artistic movement that originated with a group of French poets in the late 19th century, spread to painting and the theatre, and influenced the European and American literatures of the 20th century to varying degrees. Symbolism can take various forms. Symbolism can be an object, person, situation, event or action that has a deeper meaning in the overall context beyond a surface understanding. Symbolist artists sought to express Symbolism is a literary device that uses symbols, be they words, people, marks, locations, or abstract ideas to represent something beyond the literal meaning. Symbolism is a figure of speech that is used when an author wants to create a certain mood or emotion in a work of literature. It’s a way of creating depth and meaning to your narrative, and it takes the story beyond simple plot or character development. View Test Prep - Symbolism in Fiction-Mastery Test.txt from ENGLISH 10 at Epic Charter School. An interesting aspect to great symbolism in novels is that the symbols often undergo changes between the beginning and end of the narrative. There are a number of different ways a symbol might appear in a piece of literature, suggesting an array of different meanings. Importance of Symbols and Symbolism in Literature. Poetry is often laden with symbolism, but with prose fiction, a lighter touch tends to work best – if only for matters of clarity. Symbolism is very similar to theme in a novel: they are both “hidden” elements of fiction that, although not visible, will be missed if they are not there. A symbol can take the form of a color, for example, red for passion or danger. Rivers: In literature, rivers are typically symbols of life. Overwhelming the reader with an endless stream of metaphors can lead to dense and uninviting passages that feel less intended to deliver a story and more to satisfy the writer’s own sense of cleverness. Generally, the term Symbolism is the use of Symbols to indicate some qualities, thoughts, ideas and miseries by giving them some symbolic interpretation or meaning that are different from their literal meaning. Symbolism The use of symbolism is an important tool in fiction. And so, everything I said about adding meaning to a novel, in the form of a strong theme, applies to adding symbolic meaning to fiction. Symbols in Literature. When used properly, it can enhance a piece of writing and provide further insight to the reader. Becoming familiar with the following symbols can help deepen your reading (or writing) experience. Symbolism is smartly woven into the very fabric of literature; it’s near impossible to find a well-known literary piece, especially in fiction, that doesn’t bear any symbols in it. In science fiction and fantasy, it’s especially important that writers take the time to craft rich, believable symbols. 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