ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Conceit and metaphor are two figures of speech that are often used in literature. A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things. A conceit is an extended metaphor, which can be further classified in metaphysical conceits and Petrarchan conceit. This is the key difference between conceit and metaphor.

Detailed explanation-2: -The metaphysical conceit, associated with the Metaphysical poets of the 17th century, is a more intricate and intellectual device. It usually sets up an analogy between one entity’s spiritual qualities and an object in the physical world and sometimes controls the whole structure of the poem.

Detailed explanation-3: -An extended metaphor, also known as a conceit or sustained metaphor, is the use of a single metaphor or analogy at length in a work of literature.

Detailed explanation-4: -Metaphysical conceits are known to make sense intellectually rather than intuitively. So while “love is like a butterfly” makes a certain amount of intuitive sense, John Donne’s famous conceit in which he compares physical intimacy to a flea really only makes sense when you read the poem’s complex argumentation.

Detailed explanation-5: -conceit, figure of speech, usually a simile or metaphor, that forms an extremely ingenious or fanciful parallel between apparently dissimilar or incongruous objects or situations.