CANNOTATIVE AND DENOTATIVE MEANING IN LITERATURE

Connotation Definition

Connotation refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing
which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or
meanings, in addition to their literal meanings or denotations.

For instance, “Wall Street” literally means a street situated in Lower Manhattan, but
connotatively it refers to wealth and power.

Positive and Negative Connotations

Words may have positive or negative connotations that depend upon the social,
cultural, and personal experiences of individuals. For example, the words childish,
childlike and youthful have the same denotative, but different connotative, meanings.
Childish and childlike have a negative connotation, as they refer to immature behavior
of a person. Whereas, youthful implies that a person is lively and energetic.

Common Connotation Examples

Below are a few connotation examples. Their suggested meanings are shaped by
cultural and emotional associations:

“He’s such a dog.” – In this sense, the word dog connotes shamelessness, or ugliness.

“That woman is a dove at heart.” – Here, the dove implies peace or gentility.

“There’s no place like home.” – While home may refer to the actual building someone
lives in, connotatively, it most often refers to family, comfort, and security.

“What do you expect from a politician?” – Politician has a negative connotation of

wickedness and insincerity. To imply sincerity, the word statesperson might be used.

“That woman is so pushy!” – Pushy refers to someone who is loud-mouthed, insisting,

and irritating.
“My mom and dad worked hard to put me through college.” – The words Mom and Dad,
when used in place of mother and father, connote loving parents, rather than simply
biological parents.

Examples of Connotation in Literature

In literature, it is a common practice among writers to deviate from the literal meanings
of words in order to create novel ideas. Figures of speech frequently employed by writers
are examples of such deviations.

Example #1: Sonnet 18 (By William Shakespeare)

Metaphors are words that connote meanings that go beyond their literal meanings.
Shakespeare, in his Sonnet 18, says:

“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day…”

Here, the phrase “a Summer’s Day” implies the fairness of his beloved.

Example #2: The Sun Rising (By John Donne)

Similarly, John Donne says in his poem The Sun Rising says:

“She is all states, and all princes, I.

This line suggests the speaker’s belief that he and his beloved are wealthier than all the
states, kingdoms, and rulers in the whole world because of their love.

Example #3: The Merchant of Venice (By William Shakespeare)

Irony and satire exhibit connotative meanings, as the intended meanings of words are
opposite to their literal meanings. For example, we see a sarcastic remark made by
Antonio to Shylock, the Jew, in William Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice:

“Hie thee, gentle Jew.

The Hebrew will turn Christian: he grows kind.

The word “Jew” generally had a negative connotation of wickedness, while “Christian”
demonstrated positive connotations of kindness.

Example #4: The Animal Farm (By George Orwell)

George Orwell’s allegorical novel Animal Farm is packed with examples of connotation.
The actions of the animals on the farm illustrate the greed and corruption that arose
after the Communist Revolution of Russia. The pigs in the novel connote wicked and
powerful people who can change the ideology of a society. In addition, Mr. Jones (the
owner of the farm), represents the overthrown Tsar Nicholas II; and Boxer, the horse,
represents the laborer class.

Example #5: Julius Caesar (By William Shakespeare)

Metonymy is another figure of speech that makes use of connotative or suggested

meanings, as it describes a thing by mentioning something else with which it is closely
connected. For example, Mark Anthony, in Act III of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, says:

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”

Here, the word “ear” connotes the idea of people listening to him attentively.

Example #6: Out, Out (By Robert Frost)

Read the following lines from Robert Frost’s poem Out, Out:

“As he swung toward them holding up the hand

Half in appeal, but half as if to keep

The life from spilling”

In the line “The life from spilling,” the word “life” connotes “blood.” It does make sense
as well because loss of blood may cause loss of life.

Example #7: As you Like It (By William Shakespeare)

Connotation provides the basis for symbolic meanings of words because symbolic
meanings of objects are different from their literal sense. Look at the following lines
from Shakespeare’s play As you Like It:

“All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts …”

Here, a stage connotes the world; players suggests human beings; and parts implies
different stages of their lives.

Function of Connotation
 In literature, connotation paves way for creativity by using figures of speech like
metaphor, simile, symbolism, and personification. Had writers contented themselves
with only the literal meanings, there would have been no way to compare abstract ideas
to concrete concepts, in order to give readers a better understanding. Therefore,
connotative meanings of words allow writers to add to their works dimensions that are
broader, more vivid, and fresher.

Denotation

The denotation of a word could be loosely understood as its objective meaning,

compared to the subjective meaning encompassed by the term connotation. The
denotation of a word is simply what the dictionary says the word means, independent
from cultural or situational context. When actually used, the word may have meanings
for the listener that transcend its denotation. For example, "swastika" meant something
quite different for traditional Hindus than it now does for modern Westerners.

Introduction

Denotation is the main or primary meaning of a word, not including any

connotations (ideas, feelings, or associations) the word produces during use. Denotation
is the set of associations a word may elicit from most speakers of a certain language, as
opposed to those which are specific to a particular speaker due to a personal experience.
Denotation is also the action or process of indicating or referring to something using a
word or a symbol. The word “denotation” is derived from the Latin word “dēnotātiōn”
meaning marking out, or equivalent to. Its first known use was circa 1532.

Examples of denotation

A denotation is a word that names or signifies something very specific.

Example 1: Wind.

Wind is the denotation for air swirling about in natural motion.

Example 2: Poodle.

A poodle is a specific dog breed.

Example 3: The South Pacific.

The South Pacific is a specific area or place on the planet Earth.

Example 4: Modern.
“Modern” means “belonging to recent times” denotatively, but may have other
connotations if used in a different manner.

Denotation can be considered the literal or dictionary definition of a word in

most cases; it may contrast with connotative meanings or those assigned by association
or an individual’s personal experience. Denotation is a also a way to interpret the
original meaning of a symbolic word or sign.

Example 4: Dove.

A dove is technically and literally a wild or domesticated pigeon which has a thick,
round body and short legs. However, the symbolic dove represents the idea or concept
of peace in much literature, writing, and graphic representation.

Denotation in literature

In philosophy, denotation is the concept or object which a term refers to. It can
also be an entire set of objects of which a certain predicate is true. Denotation and
connotation are two sides of the same literary coin; where one is present the other is
not. Writers often assign new meanings or strip away meanings from common words in
order to find fresh, creative points of view on mundane subjects. Such figurative
language making reading and writing more interesting and connects it to different ideas
and concepts that may not have been apparent before. Some examples of literary devices
which change the denotation of a word are understatement, paradox, puns, metaphors,
similes, personifications, and hyperbole.

Conversational language often removes the denotation of a word and assigns

connotations that would not as common in written language. Some examples of this are
when the word “dog” is used to indicate ugly facial features or shamelessness; when the
word home is used to imply family or comfort; or when a politician is spoken with a
negative connotation.

Robert Frost uses denotation in his poem Mending Wall: “And on a day we meet to walk
the line, and set the wall between us once again.”

Here the word “wall” has a denotative meaning and a connotative meaning. In
Wordsworth’s poem A Slumber did my Spirit Seal the following lines contain
denotation: “No motion has she now, no force; she neither hears nor sees; roll’d round
in earth’s diurnal course with rocks, and stones, and trees.” The portions of earth
referred to here are literal, making them denotative, even though the overall
implications of the stanza are connotative.