What Is Conceit in Literature? Definition and Examples

Writers use many rhetorical devices to provide a better experience to their readers. One such device is a conceit, a kind of comparison that is similar to similes, metaphors, and allegories.

It’s now mostly seen in modern literary criticism but has been in use since the 14th century. Let’s take a look at what this concept is and how it’s used to provoke a reader’s imagination.

What Is a Conceit?

As a literary device, a conceit establishes a comparison or juxtaposition. It differs from similes or metaphors in that the connection being made is between two extremely different, or unlikely objects.

We actually use conceits all the time, especially in most idiomatic expressions. Some examples are: “dead as a doornail”, “fit as a fiddle”, and “life is a bowl of cherries.”

Looking at the examples above, the objects being compared have no connection. But to us, they make sense because of their connotational meaning. This way, conceits can carry over to the reader a deeper interpretation of what the writer says.

The term was first used this way in the context of poetry but has since extended into different forms of literature and art, including theater, photography, architecture, and painting.

A conceit is also divided into two categories: Petrarchan and metaphysical. We’ll be taking a closer look at these two below.

Positive vs. Negative Conceit

Originally, a conceit referred to an extended metaphor that was unconventional and complex. These metaphors guide multiple passages or, in some cases, an entire poem. Poets make use of conceits to compare two unlikely things in a surprising way. This makes the reader consider the objects being compared in a new light, which in turn deepens the overall theme of the poem.

Conceit can also refer to statements that are excessively elaborate to the point of being strained. Because of overuse of this meaning, conceits have gained a negative connotation over time, because in this use they feel contrived and are therefore unconvincing. Conceits like these might be composed of outlandish events, over-the-top dialogue, or fundamentally flawed ideas.

Petrarchan Conceits

Petrarchan conceits are named after the Italian poet Petrarch. These are hyperbolic comparisons that specifically concern love poems where the beloved is excessively compared to extreme ideas or objects.

It is used to demonstrate the highs and lows of being in love. For instance, a poet can compare their lover’s eyes to the stars, their lips to a rose, and their skin to silk. This was extremely popular with Renaissance poets and is mostly used in Petrarchan sonnets.

Sometimes Petrarchan conceits are also examples of oxymorons, such as when Shakespeare has Romeo declaring his love for Rosaline as “bright smoke, cold fire, sick health”.

Here’s an example from Petrarch himself:

Her way of moving was no mortal thing,
but of angelic form: and her speech
rang higher than a mere human voice.

A celestial spirit, a living sun
was what I saw: and if she is not such now,
the wound's not healed, although the bow is slack.

Petrarch compares his beloved to many things, such as an angel, a celestial spirit, and a living sun. While it does sound exaggerated to some, it is also meant to flatter the subject of the poem.

Another great example is in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130:

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

While the Bard makes the subject sound haggard and ugly, the extreme comparisons work brilliantly to emphasize the meaning of the sonnet. He sees her as someone beyond the traditional standards of beauty.

Metaphysical Conceits

Metaphysical conceits are more abstract, relying on almost absurd comparisons to elicit a response from the audience. These are imaginative leaps into the similarities between two things that have no relationship to each other.

Sometimes, to add more complexity, the objects being compared are physical and abstract, such as equating a relationship to a compass.

Poets may choose to hide the meaning of the metaphor or take it literally. The point is more often about the ingenuity of the comparison rather than whether those being compared make sense together.

Perhaps the most famous example of this is in John Donne’s The Flea:

Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare,
Where we almost, nay more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;
Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met,
And cloistered in these living walls of jet.

The entire poem uses the flea as a way to proposition a lover. One part even argues that since the flea has sucked both of their blood, there is no longer any reason to be shy about physical intimacy (as their blood is already mixed within the flea).

Another example can be seen in T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock:

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table.

Considering that it is supposed to be a love song, it’s jarring for the opening lines to compare the evening sky to a patient strapped to an operating table. But it does provide a strong image that hooks the reader in.

Why Do Writers Use Conceits?

As a writer, you might use conceits for many of the same reasons that you use other literary devices. They enhance the story you’re trying to tell, making it more satisfying for readers and yourself.

In using conceits, writers are able to convey abstract concepts more vividly. Because the comparisons being made are so strange, they stick to your audience’s minds better. And if the connection you established makes them consider the world in a new light, your audience will better appreciate the meaning of your work.

Sometimes a conceit can be used simply to show off. Being able to connect two dissimilar ideas and make them work is a sign of a writer’s creativity and imagination. All of these contribute to your audience’s interest in reading your work.

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