Extended metaphor



An extended metaphor, also called a conceit, is a metaphor that continues into the sentences that follow. The article on conceit gives examples of the historical use of the technique, while this article is about how to use it.

It is often developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work, and are especially effective in poems and fiction.


 * If one starts with the metaphor of "The seeds have already been sown", an extension could be "It remains to be seen whether weeds or flowers will spring forth."
 * Also, many fables and fairy tales are often extended metaphors.
 * Such as short stories like "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy" by Tim O'Brien and "Tandem" by Dan Libman, which uses the metaphor of a tandem bike ride to illustrate a difficult marriage.

Extended metaphor poems are categorized into three groups: "of metaphors", "is metaphors", and "adjacent noun metaphors". An "of metaphor" is a metaphor consisting of the pattern "She is the love of my life". An "is metaphor" is more profound version of "of metaphors". These shorten the previous example to "She is love." An adjacent noun poem is a less common category. It uses three unrelated nouns to create a vivid image. Adjacent noun poems are usually lighthearted and entertaining.

Extended metaphors appear also in symbolic constitutions and many Native American literature pieces.

Métaphore filée