Previous
Genre
Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Hyperbole
Explanation and Analysis—Mr. Fairlie's Nerves:
While The Woman in White may be an eerie and intense sensation novel, Collins fills it with comical characters and moments. Mr. Frederick Fairlie is one of the characters through which Collins offers his reader comic relief. Most aspects of Mr. Fairlie's character development are permeated with hyperbole—in his own words, he is "a bundle of nerves dressed up to look like a man."
The First Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Noise Like a Knife:
The first time Walter meets Mr. Fairlie is the first time the reader encounters him as well. This first meeting reveals the character to be an excessively neurotic, pretentious, and self-centered man. As he bids Walter farewell, he uses a simile that exaggerates his sensitive nature:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Would you mind taking great pains not to let the doors bang, and not to drop the portfolio? Thank you. Gently with the curtains, please—the slightest noise from them goes through me like a knife. Yes. Good morning!
Related Themes:
The Third Epoch: Part 3, Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Composition of Confession:
At the novel's final climax, Walter goes to Count Fosco's house to reveal that he has figured out his identity. The men agree that Walter will allow Count Fosco to escape on two conditions, one of which is "a full confession of the conspiracy, written and signed in [Walter's] presence." Collins employs hyperbole in his description of the scene in which Walter watches Count Fosco write:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Each slip as he finished it, was paged, and tossed over his shoulder, out of his way, on the floor. [...] Slip after slip, by dozens, by fifties, by hundreds, flew over his shoulders on either side of him, till he had snowed himself up in paper all round his chair. Hour after hour passed—and there I sat watching; there he sat, writing.
