Imagery

Types

There are five major types of sensory imagery, each corresponding to a sense, feeling, action, or reaction. Visual imagery pertains to graphics, visual scenes, pictures, or the sense of sight and builds the setting and characters; it is one of the most commonly used types. Auditory imagery pertains to sounds, noises, music, or the sense of hearing and may include onomatopoeia; dialogue can give depth to interpersonal relationships and conflicts. Olfactory imagery pertains to odors, aromas, scents, or the sense of smell, intensifying the vividness of the setting.

Gustatory imagery pertains to flavors or the sense of taste. Tactile imagery pertains to physical textures or the sense of touch and amplifies intimacy between characters and the world around them. Other types include kinesthetic imagery, which pertains to movements and can increase pacing; organic or subjective imagery, which pertains to personal experiences of a character's body including emotion and senses like hunger, thirst, fatigue, and pain; phenomenological imagery, which pertains to the mental conception of an item as opposed to the physical version; and color imagery, the ability to visualize a color in its absence.

Did You Know?

• Imagery can be used with metaphors or similes to provide specificity through comparisons.
• When combined with symbolism, imagery creates a connection between a specific idea and a broader concept.
• Three necessities for imagination are directedness, activity, and phenomenology.