Literary Symbolism: Concept and Function

Abstract

Symbols are communicative device used by writers to depict concealed reality. It has the capability to express intricate ideas precisely and flat ideas effectively. Words have the power to evoke ideal realities suggestively. Symbols convey the poets comprehension of transcendental mystery. For W.B. Yeats,  a successful symbol is mysterious and deals with the divine reality. For T.S. Eliot, emotion of art is expressed through correlative. In nineteenth century, the growing interest in psychoanalysis led the writers  to probe deep inside human consciousness. The writers turned towards symbolism in order to prepare a ground for the presentation of human mind and soul, which is very abstract. This paper documents different concepts associated with symbolism and sums up the  function of symbolism  in brief.