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Unit 4 · Literary Criticism and Theory English · December 2023 (Rescheduled)

Which of the following statements do NOT relate to Empson's Seven Types of Ambiguity?

  1. A. Ambiguity is any verbal nuance that gives room for alternative reactions.
  2. B. The first type is the simple metaphor, effective in several ways at once.
  3. C. The third type gives two apparently unconnected meanings simultaneously.
  4. D. The fifth type is an 'unfortunate confusion', illustrated from Shelley and Swinburne.
  5. E. The seventh type marks a division in the reader's mind.

Pick an option to check yourself, or open the answer below.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D. (D) and (E) only

Explanation

Empson (1930) calls the fifth type a 'fortunate confusion', where the author discovers the idea while writing, and the seventh a full contradiction that shows a division in the author's mind.

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