{"id":461804,"date":"2021-12-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-04T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/?p=461804"},"modified":"2025-05-02T14:38:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T13:38:43","slug":"symbology-in-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/symbology-in-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Symbology In Fiction: What It Is And How To Use It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does \u2018symbology in fiction\u2019 mean? And how can you utilize literary<\/a> symbols in your work and strengthen your storytelling<\/a>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re ever lucky enough to travel to Bergen in Norway, (which, by the way, I would highly recommend) you\u2019ll likely find yourself amongst brightly-coloured buildings packed tightly together as if bracing themselves against the wind and rain (the weather can get fairly atrocious). This is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf (Tyskebryggen).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The buildings are restaurants, studios, workshops, and boutique shops, but once they were merchant houses, many of which still have distinct symbols on them. Why symbols, you might ask? Because these buildings date back as far as the 14th<\/sup> century, to a time when many people couldn\u2019t read, and the symbols made it easier to find which house or place of trade they were looking for.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symbols have been used, one way or another, since the beginning of time – and that still remains when it comes to writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this blog post I\u2019ll further explore the use of symbols and symbolism in literature, as well as looking at how their uses benefit both readers and writers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symbology vs Symbolism<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The use of symbols in the example above is a fairly obvious one, for an equally obvious reason. But even today, supermarket chains, for example, have distinct branding<\/a> or logos. These are used to distinguish themselves from competitors and are often in bright colours, sometimes even with a little picture.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My three-year-old pointed out to me the other day that the four yellow dashes above the bright green letter \u2018A\u2019 in ASDA look like the sun rising above a field. I must have seen that logo a hundred, maybe even a thousand<\/em> times, and never noticed. Now I do. Is he right? Maybe. Does it matter? Not at all. What matters is that it\u2019s a symbol we recognise and can distinguish from others.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, the rainbow, a symbol of hope and promise, has become synonymous with the UK\u2019s NHS and the nation\u2019s support of all the hard work that is being done by healthcare workers during the pandemic. It\u2019s also synonymous with the LBTQ+ community. Everybody knows that rainbows are positive and happy symbols. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A red rose symbolises love and romance; a four-leaf clover is supposed to bring us good luck; green means go, and red means stop. These are all examples of symbols that have become ingrained in our everyday existence.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what does all of that have to do with writing? And what is the difference between symbology and symbolism?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put it simply, here’s our definitions of symbology and literary symbolism: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symbology is the study and use of symbols, whereas symbolism is the representation of a concept through symbols.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at birds as an example. Doves, usually white in colour, are used to represent peace or love; artists make use of owls to symbolise wisdom, and ravens \u2013 with their black plumage, croaking call, and diet of carrion \u2013 are often associated with death, loss, ill omens and lost souls.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Symbolism<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many different types of symbolism that we writers use in our work. Let\u2019s look at a few of the most common ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As brave as a lion, as strong as an ox, as big as an elephant; these are all examples of similes, which is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description<\/a> more emphatic or vivid. A lion is renowned for being brave and courageous, so making this direct comparison is a way in which to show meaning<\/a> through a well-known symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metaphor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whereas a simile compares two separate things, a metaphor<\/a> is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denotes one kind of object or idea and is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. For example, in Shakespeare\u2019s \u2018Romeo and Juliet\u2019, Romeo says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet, the sun!\u201d  <\/p>‘Romeo and Juliet\u2019 by Shakespeare<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Juliet is not literally the sun and Romeo knows that Juliet is not literally the sun, but this demonstrates he compares her to the sun, thinks her what the sun symbolises: beauty, strength, awe, a life-giving force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allegory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The word allegory has a long history. The first evidence of its use in the English language is in the late 14th<\/sup> century and comes from the Latin word allegoria, which in turn is the latinisation of the Greek word \u1f00\u03bb\u03bb\u03b7\u03b3\u03bf\u03c1\u03af\u03b1 (allegor\u00eda), meaning veiled language or figurative. That word comes from both \u1f04\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03c2 (allos), meaning another, different and \u1f00\u03b3\u03bf\u03c1\u03b5\u03cd\u03c9 (agoreuo), which is to harangue, to speak in the assembly, which originates from \u1f00\u03b3\u03bf\u03c1\u03ac (agora): assembly.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A modern definition is:<\/strong> a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning<\/a>, typically a moral or political one.<\/em>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Orwell\u2019s Animal Farm<\/em>, where each animal is a representation of a different political faction, is an example of an allegory. Another is The Faerie Queene<\/em> by Edmund Spenser (which symbolises the moral and spiritual journey of an individual<\/a> through innumerable temptations of sins towards the ultimate attainment of glory and truth), or Aesop\u2019s Fables <\/em>(such as the tale of The Tortoise and the Hare, <\/em>where the tortoise wins because he\u2019s slow and steady).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archetype<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In its most basic definition, an archetype<\/a> is a typical example of a person or thing. In literature, there are four main archetype options, each with many examples. I\u2019ve listed a few below, but there are many more.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Character archetypes:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n