What Does Imagery Mean In Literature?

Literary imagery refers to the use of descriptive or figurative language to paint a picture of something. It tries to explain or describe a situation, idea, action or object with the use of language that creates an image of said idea or action.

• Why is it used?

The language involved in imagery is often very vivid, imaginative and poetic, making it entertaining to read and bringing clarity and mental pictures to literature, further helping in the understanding of the piece. It uses the senses to highlight the literature; this means that it will try to relate the action or incident to something that you can relate to. It means that imagery could use your sense of smell to tell you that the room smelled like 'stale curry', giving you an image or impression of the room based on something imaginable.

• Examples of imagery

There are many famous examples of imagery - most well-written books are laden with imagery, and the use of imagery in literature is a handy tool that helps the book and the author connect with the audience through written text.

For example, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet uses imagery a lot to represent or personify topics such as love, fate and freewill. Romeo is quoted as saying to Juliet, "Call me but love and I'll be new baptized". Here Shakespeare relates to his audience by relating love to a religious experience, something that this audience will have been well aware of.

Contemporary books such as Harry Potter use imagery too, particularly religious imagery. For example, in The Prisoner of Azkaban the words read: "Fudge smiled at Harry over the edge of his teacup, rather like an uncle surveying a favorite nephew," relating the look or action of Fudge to something that the audience would understand.

Imagery is the mental picture or pictures that a writer creates. In fiction, imagery can involve any and all of the senses, and have very important symbolic value

a. Visual imagery: A dim light, a dirty rag, a golden daffodil

b. Auditory imagery: A pounding surf, a screeching siren

c. Tactile imagery: A scratchy beard, an ice-cold hand

d. Olfactory imagery: The scent of apple blossoms, mint-fresh breath

e. Gustatory imagery: The bitter tang of gin, coffee tinged with vanilla

In poetry imagery refers to the usage of images that beautifies the poetic diction. There are four kinds of images that are used in poetry to appeal to various senses such as the gustatory image which pleases the sense of taste, the olfactory images which please the sense of smell, the tactile images which appeal to the sense of touch, the auditory images which appeal to the sense of hearing and the kinaesthetic image which represents the sense of motion.  John Keat's poetry is replete with imagery and since we find almost all the images in his poems, I will quote from him to make you better comprehend what imagery means in poetry. Here are a few lines from his "Ode On A Grecian Urn":
Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness!(gustatory)
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun(visual)
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch eaves run(kinaesthetic)

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day(visual)
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue(visual +tactile)
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn(auditory)
Among the river sallows, borne aloft(kinaesthetic)
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

Creates a picture in mind of some thing from words

Painting very descriptive pictures with words.