*prosopopoeia*

‖n. [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_;; pro`swpon a face, a person + &unr_; to make. ] (Rhet.) A figure by which things are represented as persons, or by which things inanimate are spoken of as animated beings; also, a figure by which an absent person is introduced as speaking, or a deceased person is represented as alive and present. It includes personification, but is more extensive in its signification. [ 1913 Webster ]