- The portrait as a literary figure
- Etopeia
- Prosopography
- Pragmatography
- Examples
- In
- In
- In
- In
- In
- In popular sayings
- References
The examples of portrait as literary figure include the elements described in detail looking to stimulate the imagination of the reader. It is a resource that presents a character, brings her closer to the reader, makes her credible, visible and brings her to life.
The portrait is a descriptive rhetorical figure of the external and internal features of a person or a character. Include the description of animals, places, or objects.
It is related to the way of showing different feelings on the face, caused by actions or situations experienced.
The portrait as a literary figure
This resource is a combination of three descriptive figures of speech: ethopeia, prosopography, and pragmatography.
Etopeia
It is used to describe internal traits such as character, qualities, customs and virtues of an individual.
Prosopography
Used to describe external features of an individual, animal or thing.
Pragmatography
Describe actions, events, and objects.
Examples
In
1- «He was tall, thin and very old, judging by his silver hair and beard, so long that he could hold them with his belt.
He wore a long tunic, a purple cape that swept the ground, and high-heeled boots with buckles. His blue eyes were clear, bright, and sparkled behind half-moon glasses.
He had a very long and crooked nose, as if it had ever been broken. The man's name was Albus Dumbledore.
2- «'Good to see you here, Professor McGonagall'. She turned to smile at the cat, but it was gone.
Instead, he grinned at a stern-looking woman who wore square-rimmed glasses, reminiscent of the lines around the cat's eyes. The woman also wore an emerald-colored cape.
3- «At Hogwarts there were 142 stairs, some wide and clear, others narrow and rickety.
Some took to a different place on Fridays. Others had a step that disappeared midway and had to be remembered to jump.
The physical descriptions of the characters were instrumental in the casting for the world of Harry Potter movies. Thanks to the accuracy of the portrait, this task was made easier.
In
4- «The age of our hidalgo was about fifty years old, he was of a strong complexion, dry of flesh, lean of face; great early riser and friend of the hunt ».
In
5- «He was a country boy, about fifteen years old, and taller than any of us.
His hair was cut straight across his forehead, like a village cantor, and he looked formal and very embarrassed.
Although it was not broad in the shoulders, his green cloth jacket with black buttons must have bothered him at the armholes and revealed, through the turns of the cuffs, red wrists used to being uncovered ».
6- "Good looking, petulant, of those who make spurs ring, with sideburns attached to the mustache, fingers always covered with rings and dressed in bright colors, he had traces of a bully and the easy animation of a traveling salesman."
In this case, the description transcends the physical aspect, since "petulant" and "bully" are attitudes; however, they do allow you to get a better idea of the character.
In
7- «It was a hot and sunny town, quite rich in olive trees and filthy (excuse me), with the houses painted so white that my sight still hurts when I remember them, with a square made entirely of flagstones, with a beautiful fountain of three pipes in the middle of the square… ».
In
8- «This extraordinary woman served a master who was her polar opposite. She lived across the street from the house; she was a silent and clean man; She was always accompanied by two large dogs; she liked to plant many trees… ».
In popular sayings
9- «Whoever finds a friend, finds a treasure».
10- «Dog that barks, does not bite».
References
- Azurmendi, A. (1998). The right to own image: your identity and approach to the right to information. Ibeoamerican University.
- Beaujour, M. (1992). Poetics of the Literary Self-Portrait. NYU Press.
- Colby, AM (1965). The Portrait in Twelfth-century French Literature: An Example of the Stylistic Originality of Chrétien de Troyes. Librairie Droz.
- Darío, R. (2016). Portrait of the poet as a young storyteller. Fund of Economic Culture.
- Dupriez, BM (1991). A Dictionary of Literary Devices: Gradus, AZ. University of Toronto Press.
- Escudero, C., Valcárcel, H., & Carmen, M. d. (2005). Approach to the literary: reading guide.