Literary criticism-TERMINOLOGY

[jasontraves]

What is the term for when a storm builds to reflect the rising tension in the text? Or for example if it constantly rains when a charater is very sad? (when the weather reflects the mood). I don't think it is pathetic fallacy as that is more to do with giving the weather human emotions eg. 'angry clouds'

[paddy_36]

I'm pretty sure it is still pathetic fallacy.

[Clanad]

The answer from paddy_36 is fairly appropriate, however other terms that can give expansion to that thought are:

Simile: Simple substituion of a genre of occurences to relate to other other occurrences, especially if specifically connected with words such as "like" or "similar".
Allegory: Use of abstract, seemingly unrealted events to establish tones in a work.
Allusion: Relating to the unfamiliar to draw attention to or emphasize the familiar. (Analogy also, when constructed appropriately, conveys the same feeling)...

[Aschenbach]

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/

The 'Key Facts' section of the guides this site refers to foreshadowing as a literary device. Pathetic fallacy is probably correct too.

[rosyrussell]

I would agree with pathetic fallacy ' the presentation of natural events and objects as controlled by human emotions, so that in some way they express human sorrow or joy (�a brave little snowdrop�; �the heavens smiled on our enterprise�). The phrase was coined by the English critic John Ruskin in Modern Painters (1843�60), to describe the ascription of human feelings to the outside world' courtesy of Tiscali reference!

[rosyrussell]

But for some reason the phrase pathetic sympathy seems to jump in my head at the same time - some long past echo from my english teacher perhaps! Cant find it anywhere else, but he was quite a Classicist and knew his stuff