Pathetic Pathetic Fallacy

I think we deal with pathetic fallacy a little differently than in countries where there is constant steaming sunshine and limited chilly rainfall. We are so so obsessed with the weather. I realise that I have metaphorically jumped over a few muddy puddles without actually explaining what pathetic fallacy is. So without further adieu here you have it. Pathetic fallacy is a literary device in which human emotions are attributed to aspects of nature, such as the weather. It does not have to be the weather! It can be either positive, negative or changeable. Often in poetry, for example, there are a large crowd of yellow flowers smiling or dancing in the field that the Romantic chap is traversing. Nod nod wink wink! In other lengthy verse there are large seabirds which predict disaster if you happen to shoot them. Look up 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. Taylor Coleridge, Sam to his friends, was the founder of the Romantic Movement in England and they know all about solitude and nature. I doubt there was any pathetic fallacy before them.

So if I want to be descriptive and horrendously negative then everything will happen in the gloom and doom with rain lashing down in the background and maybe an occasional crash of lightening or obscure clap of thunder. followed by a murder of crows flying closely overhead. Nothing good is going to come of this. Sounds like a usual day though! However, of course the sun can slowly emerge from the distance, the clouds can blow over and hey presto we are back in a positive mood, with butterflies flitting past and bumble bees merrily buzzing.

Does this really reflect the way we live? Probably not. However, it is always good to have some stereotyping and vitamin D does make you feel better. Pathetic it may be and it could even be a fallacy.