Prosopopoeia

A prosopopoeia (Greek: προσωποποιία, /prɒsoʊpoʊˈpiːə/) is a rhetorical device in which a non-human element speaks or is spoken to as a human. The term derives from the Greek words prósopon (transl. face, person) and poiéin (transl. to make, to do).^{[1] [2]}

Not to be confused with Prosopography.

Prosopopoeiae are used mostly to give another perspective on the action being described. For example, in Cicero's Pro Caelio, Cicero speaks as Appius Claudius Caecus, a stern old man. This serves to give the "ancient" perspective on the actions of the plaintiff. Prosopopoeiae can also be used to take some of the load off the communicator by placing an unfavorable point of view on the shoulders of an imaginary stereotype. The audience's reactions are predisposed to go towards this figment rather than the communicator himself.

This term also refers to a figure of speech in which an animal or inanimate object is ascribed human characteristics or is spoken of in anthropomorphic language. Quintilian writes of the power of this figure of speech to "bring down the gods from heaven, evoke the dead, and give voices to cities and states" (Institutes of Oratory Book IX Chapter 2).

Examples

Contemporary literature

Prosopopoeia is the title of the English translation of Farid Tali's French novel in which the central narrative is spoken through the body of the author's late brother.^[3][4]

See also

• Anthropomorphism
• Character mask

References

1. Lanham, Richard A. (1 January 1991). A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms. University of California Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-520-07669-3.
2. Barroso, Paulo (10 November 2023). "Prosopopeia Como Orto-Doxia Estética e Retórica: Literariedade e Eficácia do Discurso da Publicidade". Vista (in Portuguese) (12): e023011. doi:10.21814/vista.5201. ISSN 2184-1284.
3. "Prosopopoeia by Farid Tali". www.europenowjournal.org.
4. "Silence is a Ghost: Jane Wong and Aditi Machado in Conversation". Literary Hub. 24 February 2017.

External links

• Literary Encyclopedia page on Prosopopoeia
• Quintilian's Institutes of Oratory, Bk. IX Ch. II