"The metaphor is a shorter simile, or rather a kind of magical coat, by which the same idea assumes a thousand different appearances."
— Goldsmith, Oliver (1728?-1774)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
J. Fletcher
Date
April, 1762
Metaphor
"The metaphor is a shorter simile, or rather a kind of magical coat, by which the same idea assumes a thousand different appearances."
Metaphor in Context
Of all the implements of Poetry, the metaphor is the most generally and successfully used, and indeed may be termed the Muse's caduceus, by the power of which she enchants all nature. The metaphor is a shorter simile, or rather a kind of magical coat, by which the same idea assumes a thousand different appearances. Thus the word plough, which originally belongs to agriculture, being metaphorically used, represents the motion of a ship at sea, and the effects of old age upon the human countenance:--
(p. 184 in BM, pp. 361-2 in Works)
(p. 184 in BM, pp. 361-2 in Works)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Text from The Works of Oliver Goldsmith, 4 vols. (London: George Bell & Sons, 1892). Text retitled "On Metaphor."
See also The British Magazine, vol. III (London: Printed for J. Fletcher, 1762). <Link to Google Books>
See also The British Magazine, vol. III (London: Printed for J. Fletcher, 1762). <Link to Google Books>
Date of Entry
06/15/2013
