The
pathetic fallacy is a gross
logical fallacy of considering
inanimate objects or conceptual entities such as countries as if they were living creatures.
For example:
- "America wants to punish France!"
- "Ah, it is no good. That car just doesn't want to start!"
- "the moving object, due to its mass, wants to keep going"
John Ruskin coined this phrase in his work "
Modern Painters[?]".
The phrase is sometimes used in literary criticism, with reference to the above idea. For example, in a drama or novel, the weather might seem to be in tune with the characters' feelings.