3. Pathetic Fallacy – Weather & Mood

Pathetic Fallacy – Weather and Mood

One other important function of setting description is to set a mood, and the choice of words used bear that weight.

What is Pathetic Fallacy?

Pathetic means feeling in latin. Fallacy means deceitful.

Pathetic fallacy is when a writer attributes human emotions to things that are not human such as objects, weather, or animals. It is often used to make the environment reflect the inner experience of a narrator or other characters.

Personification is when a writer attributes human qualities to things that are not human. Pathetic fallacy is a type of personification.

Examples of pathetic fallacy

“I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills…” (William Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud)

“He caught hold of her arms and turned her to face him. ‘Because I care about you,’ he said.
The rain was now a torrential downpour. Paul raised his voice above the sound of the water beating hard on the rooftops. Raindrops ran in rivulets down his face and over his lips. ‘I might be an idiot. I might have done this all the wrong way. But I care about you. This is your only family. You have to give them a chance, before it’s too late.’
Her body was shaking, but she forced her mouth open to speak.” (Helena Fairfax, A way from heart to heart)

Write your own examples