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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
Volume 1, Part 1: Chapters 5–6
Explanation and Analysis—The Highest Degree :
Tolstoy uses hyperbole when depicting Pierre's high degree of respect and praise for Prince Andrei. After they leave a soiree held by Anna Pavlovna, Prince Andrei expresses dissatisfaction with his own life, shocking Pierre:
Pierre considered Prince Andrei the model of all perfections, precisely because Prince Andrei united in the highest degree all those qualities which Pierre did not possess and which could be most nearly expressed by the notion of strength of will. Pierre always marveled at Prince Andrei’s ability to deal calmly with all sorts of people, at his extraordinary memory, his erudition (he had read everything, knew everything, had notions about everything), and most of all at his ability to work and learn.
Pierre has a somewhat inflated sense of his friend's virtues, characterizing him as "the model of all perfections" who reflects the "highest degree" of various positive traits and qualities. In contrast, Pierre holds himself in little regard, believing that he lacks all those same qualities. Praising Prince Andrei's memory and erudition, Pierre suggests that his friend "had read everything, knew everything, had notions about everything." Though Prince Andrei has indeed received an extensive education, Pierre's hyperbolic faith in the prince's brilliance reflects his own loyalty and naïveté. A newcomer to Russian high society, Pierre looks upon Prince Andrei as a model of conduct and dignity.
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Volume 1, Part 3: Chapters 1–5
Explanation and Analysis—Anatole Kuragin:
In a passage rife with comedic hyperbole, the presence of Anatole Kuragin, a handsome young man and eligible bachelor, makes a distinct impression on the women living in the Bolkonsky household:
As always happens with lonely women who have long lived without the society of men, on Anatole’s appearance all three women in Prince Nikolai Andreevich’s house felt equally that their life had not been life until that moment. The power of thought, feeling, observation instantly increased tenfold in them, as if their life, going on in darkness till then, was suddenly lit up by a new light filled with meaning [...] Thousands of fancies of [Marya's] future family life kept emerging in her imagination. She drove them away and tried to hide them.
For some time, Princess Marya, Princess Lise, and Mlle. Bourienne have lived in the Bolkonsky family home with no male company other than servants and the elderly Prince Bolkonsky, Marya's father and Lise's father-in-law. With comedic exaggeration, Tolstoy writes that the women all felt "that their life had not been life" until Anatole entered the house. Using clear hyperbole, Tolstoy writes that "the power of thought, feeling, observation instantly increased tenfold in them" as if the "darkness" of their lives had "suddenly lit up." Further, Marya entertains "thousands of fancies" regarding her future desired future with Anatole, who is handsome and charming but also shallow and vain. Through this series of hyperbolic claims, Tolstoy suggests that the women in the house have been desperate for male company in their secluded, rural existence.
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