Final answer:
The author would have been using synecdoche to forward characterization by naming a part but referring to the whole, or vice versa, and employing metonymy to name a class but refer to a member. These figures of speech create more vivid character portrayals in literature and can provide greater insight into character analysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
If an author named an entity's part but was referring to the whole, named an entity's whole but was referring to a part, or named a class but was referring to a member, then he was using synecdoche to forward characterization. This figure of speech allows the author to give a more potent impression or underscore certain attributes of a character without stating them outright. Synecdoche is a literary device where a part of something stands in for the whole, or the whole is used to represent a part. It's similar to another figurative language device called metonymy, where something closely associated with a subject is used to represent it.
Let's explore this using examples. A well-known phrase like 'All hands on deck' shows synecdoche because 'hands'—a part of the crew—are used to signify the whole crew. In literature, characters themselves can embody synecdoche. For instance, in 'The Great Gatsby,' the character Gatsby’s lavish parties represent the excess and opulence of the entire Jazz Age.
In the case of naming a class but referring to a member, we could see this as a broader use of metonymy. A character might be described as the 'heart of the team,' where 'heart' refers not to the actual organ but to the spirit or driving force of the group. In another example from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet,' the character Hamlet describes his father as 'Hyperion,' a sun god, using this association to comment on his father’s regal and powerful nature—thus cultivating a richer character portrait through reference to a whole class of beings (gods) to describe a single member (his father).
Literary analysis of characters requires an understanding of how an author assigns certain qualities and uses devices like synecdoche and metonymy to build those characters. When analyzing characterizations in literature, examining the use of synecdoche and metonymy can reveal deeper insights into the author's intentions and the characters themselves.
Predicate is a term that can relate to this discussion because it denotes the portion of a sentence providing characterization to a subject. For instance, describing a character as 'the Einstein of our class' would use 'Einstein' predicatively, suggesting not that the character is the actual historical figure but that he shares Einstein's attribute of high intelligence.