pathetic fallacy
pathetic fallacy · pathetic fallacies
The attribution of human thoughts and feelings to inanimate objectsThe attribution of human thoughts and feelings to inanimate objects.
Meaning
1 sensesThe attribution of human thoughts and feelings to inanimate objects.
the fallacy of attributing human feelings to inanimate objects; ‘the friendly sun’ is an example of the pathetic fallacy
Origin
Coined by British cultural critic John Ruskin in 1856 in his work Modern Painters. Here, fCoined by British cultural critic John Ruskin in 1856 in his work Modern Painters. Here, fallacy does not refer to a logical fallacy but should be understood as “a falsehood, something that is untrue”, while pathetic here means “caused by an excited state of the feelings”; thus, “emotional misrepresentation”, not “contemptible illogic”.
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Forms
plural: pathetic fallacies| Singular | pathetic fallacy |
|---|---|
| Plural | pathetic fallacies |
regular