"What is Symbolism?": A Literary Guide for English Teachers and Students

What is symbolism in literature? Are symbols in literature universal? Senior Lecturer Gilad Elbom answers these questions using examples from everyday life and Gilbert Sorrentino's novel Under the Shadow. The short video is designed to help high school and college English students to not only identify symbolism in stories and poems but also to avoid symbolic over-reach as they analyze its structure and purpose.

Spanish as well as English subtitles are now available for this video. To switch between languages, click on the "settings" button in the video.

The video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University. For more discussions of literary topics and essay writing tips, please subscribe to the free SWLF YouTube Channel or visit https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms

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Timestamps
0:00 Symbolism Basic Definition
0:54 Are Some Symbols Universal?
1:27 Symbolism Advanced Definition
2:50 Symbolism Extended Example

Below are a few more videos in the series. Please drop us a comment letting us know what literary terms you would like us to explore in future videos!

"What is a prologue?": https://youtu.be/PEeMmskARMc
"What is a stanza?": https://youtu.be/qaXfCSCHBt0
"What is stream of consciousness?": https://youtu.be/WaSFwO3O2SI
"What is figurative language?": https://youtu.be/c2CRxHOgxBM
"What is irony?': https://youtu.be/q6e0oNVx8Uk
"What is a metaphor?": https://youtu.be/5mPSFQ1eFUU
"What is a simile?": https://youtu.be/YqJrZ6OoqjU
"What is hyperbole?": https://youtu.be/IzfyNwNpUmA
"What is a imagery?": https://youtu.be/uX413tALG7Q
"What is a sonnet?": https://youtu.be/QmrKmL06J9g
"What is metonymy?": https://youtu.be/jydjhvOzMGQ
"What is synecdoche?": https://youtu.be/V3G51sJcvzg
"What is enjambment?": https://youtu.be/yBn2ZOwv144
"What is satire?": https://youtu.be/io58hl1Z0TY
"What is juxtaposition?": https://youtu.be/4KXVPS3FYkQ
"What is foreshadowing?": https://youtu.be/nc-2Jg6b0Dw
"What is understatement?": https://youtu.be/tW3MZ6z8KNA
"What is rhyme?": https://youtu.be/_9oHeL2qI6g
"What is an unreliable narrator?": https://youtu.be/A-lDvHT2QyQ
"What is a genre?": https://youtu.be/Go0Mto2fOXY
"What is a narrative arc?": https://youtu.be/ngpHeQZtS-w
"What is a flashback?": https://youtu.be/tjTauD53Ru4
"What is personification?": https://youtu.be/5GOfjV6u0Co
"What is a narrator?": https://youtu.be/bCNNBxlnkjQ
"What is a flat character vs a round character?": https://youtu.be/IPIBTgPlK5c
"What is symbolism?": https://youtu.be/GR9VbSXxouM
"What is a graphic narrative? (Part I)": https://youtu.be/SPES7Z2fjIY
"What is a graphic narrative? (Part II)": https://youtu.be/KEqQIB5ytcI
"What is epistrophe?": https://youtu.be/6rdlklOZs4o
"What is poetic meter?": https://youtu.be/S13Tg3RAUW4
"What is a portmanteau?": https://youtu.be/P5TdpQXTkB0
"What is anaphora?": https://youtu.be/dr970RgZu8w
"What is an oxymoron?": https://youtu.be/oXMht0mi0xc
"What is a zeugma?": https://youtu.be/qGtjLGFPmXE
"What is free indirect discourse?": https://youtu.be/Vw5XclD9IlQ
"What is a vehicle and a tenor?": https://youtu.be/dBjtFyktXhQ
"What is the uncanny?": https://youtu.be/4IHvGHGVAM0
"What is a point of view?": https://youtu.be/acURl_KBiRI
"What is deus ex machina?": https://youtu.be/GCpGV7fOp2M
"What is a frame story?": https://youtu.be/cjJszH88J8A
"What is ekphrasis?": https://youtu.be/ySS-IZMPjjc
"What is blank verse?": https://youtu.be/TmwuGQIgj9A
"What is an epistolary novel?": https://youtu.be/mj40J8lFu7E
"What is allegory?": https://youtu.be/4IOsFCieGQA
"What is tragedy?": https://youtu.be/OBvVD08_0hU
"What are euphony and cacophony?": https://youtu.be/TzELOczXWOY
"What are assonance and consonance?": https://youtu.be/3ZQxhOcnJzE​​
"What is a setting in literature?": https://youtu.be/omsbv-hbXiM​​
"What is onomatopoeia?": https://youtu.be/aKRKcKcSW2c​​
"What is theme in literature?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5KZc...​
"What is a conflict in literature?": https://youtu.be/XqR0Hv6mwNU​
"What is persona?": https://youtu.be/_5vKV7HNXlo
"What is a dramatic monologue?": https://youtu.be/ferWxPUN3ig
"What is an allusion?": https://youtu.be/rF3ANKEPoko
"What is alliteration?": https://youtu.be/uZNCkV_0u0A
"What is an epic?": https://youtu.be/YkblUzteA-4
"What is an ars poetica?": https://youtu.be/rZdBopDIiLo
"What is a motif?": https://youtu.be/isBKoIORntI
"What is a protagonist?": https://youtu.be/G5nZzak4TFk
"What is literature?": https://youtu.be/qvbMNIViMq4
"What is a foil?": https://youtu.be/nqXQ4L2oC9Q