Literature Glossary
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Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
Pathetic Fallacy
Definition:
Despite its doleful name, a pathetic fallacy isn't something you should pity. In fact, it's something you might want to try in your own descriptive writing.
A pathetic fallacy is when you assign human characteristics to an inhuman thing, especially something from nature. Here's an example from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley:
…the lake reflected the scene of the busy heavens, rendered still busier by the restless waves.
Did you catch the pathetic fallacies? The heavens, or sky, can't literally be busy, just like waves don't really get restless. But when Shelley describes them that way, using human qualities, you totally get what she means.