''Seven Types of Ambiguity'' is a work of literary criticism by

William Empson Sir William Empson (27 September 1906 – 15 April 1984) was an English literary critic and poet, widely influential for his practice of closely reading literary works, a practice fundamental to New Criticism. His best-known work is his first ...

which was first published in 1930. It was one of the most influential critical works of the 20th century and was a key foundation work in the formation of the

New Criticism New Criticism was a formalist movement in literary theory that dominated American literary criticism in the middle decades of the 20th century. It emphasized close reading, particularly of poetry, to discover how a work of literature functioned as ...

school. The book is organized around seven types of

ambiguity Ambiguity is the type of meaning in which a phrase, statement or resolution is not explicitly defined, making several interpretations plausible. A common aspect of ambiguity is uncertainty. It is thus an attribute of any idea or statement ...

that Empson finds in the poetry he discusses. The second edition (revised) was published by

Chatto & Windus Chatto & Windus is an imprint of Penguin Random House that was formerly an independent book publishing company founded in London in 1855 by John Camden Hotten. Following Hotten's death, the firm would reorganize under the names of his business ...

, London, 1947, and there was another revised edition in 1953. The first printing in America was by New Directions in 1947. ''Seven Types of Ambiguity'' ushered in New Criticism in the United States. The book is a guide to a style of literary criticism practiced by Empson. An ambiguity is represented as a puzzle to Empson. We have ambiguity when "alternative views might be taken without sheer misreading." Empson reads poetry as an exploration of conflicts within the author.

Seven types

# The first type of ambiguity is the

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

, that is, when two things are said to be alike which have different properties. This concept is similar to that of

metaphysical conceit 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. It differs from a mere metaphor in its length, and in having more than one single point of contact be ...

. # Two or more meanings are resolved into one. Empson characterizes this as using two different metaphors at once. # Two ideas that are connected through context can be given in one word simultaneously. # Two or more meanings that do not agree but combine to make clear a complicated state of mind in the author. # When the "author is discovering his idea in the act of writing..." Empson describes a simile that lies halfway between two statements made by the author. # When a statement says nothing and the readers are forced to invent a statement of their own, most likely in conflict with that of the author. # Two words that within context are opposites that expose a fundamental division in the author's mind.''"The Sacrifice"'', Chapter VII from ''"Seven Types of Ambiguity"'',

References

{{reflist Ambiguity Books of literary criticism 1930 non-fiction books Semantics Chatto & Windus books