Symbolism & Suggestion
Using symbols and intertextuality to add extra meaning layers
The five levels
Each anchor describes what separates one level from the next — not a general description of quality. This is the text the evaluator itself reads.
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Level 1 Below Standard
No symbolism, text completely direct
Example Everything stated explicitly without suggestion or symbol
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Level 2 Approaching
Obvious symbolic attempts, not subtle
Example Symbol too obvious to the point of being explicit statement
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Level 3 At Standard
Subtle symbolism working for attentive reader
Example Symbol exists and adds but not necessary for text understanding
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Level 4 Above Standard
Symbolism enriching text and adding layers for re-readers
Example Symbol deepens each time text is re-read
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Level 5 Exemplary
Symbolism is the text's fabric, not addition to it
Example Cannot separate symbol from text without meaning collapsing
Where does your own work sit on these levels?
Submit one work to be read against this criterion alone: your position across the five levels, why you are not higher and why not lower, three literal quotes from your own work, and one exercise with its success check. Your first card is free.
Price: 7 SAR · Included in Pro & Artist Plus · First one free — Pricing details
Read my work by this criterionOther criteria in the same art
Ability to show emotions through actions and details rather than direct statement
The five levels →Constructing the scene like a building: setup, tension, climax, resolution
The five levels →Short sentence's ability to carry deep multi-layered meaning
The five levels →Conscious movement between times, using flashback and other techniques
The five levels →Consciously speeding and slowing text according to scene demands
The five levels →Character's convincing growth or transformation across the text
The five levels →Creating and managing anticipation and emotional investment in character's fate
The five levels →Using the five senses to bring the scene vividly to the reader
The five levels →