Difference between revisions of "Bathos"
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==Origin== | ==Origin== | ||
[[Greek]], [[literally]], depth | [[Greek]], [[literally]], depth | ||
| − | *[ | + | *[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century 1727] |
==Definitions== | ==Definitions== | ||
*1a : the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or [[style]] | *1a : the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or [[style]] | ||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
: The serious [[message]] of the [[film]] is ruined by the ''bathos'' of its ridiculous ending. | : The serious [[message]] of the [[film]] is ruined by the ''bathos'' of its ridiculous ending. | ||
==Description== | ==Description== | ||
| − | '''Bathos''' (Greek βάθος, [[meaning]] depth) is an abrupt [[transition]] in [[style]] from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous [[effect]]. While often unintended, ''bathos'' may be used deliberately to produce a [[humorous]] effect. If ''bathos'' is overt, it may be described as [ | + | '''Bathos''' (Greek βάθος, [[meaning]] depth) is an abrupt [[transition]] in [[style]] from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous [[effect]]. While often unintended, ''bathos'' may be used deliberately to produce a [[humorous]] effect. If ''bathos'' is overt, it may be described as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlesque_(literature) Burlesque] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock-heroic mock-heroic]. It should not be confused with [[pathos]], a mode of persuasion within the [[discipline]] of [[rhetoric]], intended to arouse [[emotions]] of [[sympathy]] and [[pity]]. |
Examples often take the form of analogies, written to seem unintentionally funny: | Examples often take the form of analogies, written to seem unintentionally funny: | ||
| − | *[ | + | *[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulwer-Lytton_Fiction_Contest The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest] features [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose purple prose], at times exhibiting bathos: |
:They had but one last remaining night together, so they embraced each other as tightly as that two-flavor entwined string cheese that is orange and yellowish-white, the orange probably being a bland Cheddar and the white . . . Mozzarella, although it could possibly be Provolone or just plain American, as it really doesn't taste distinctly dissimilar from the orange, yet they would have you believe it does by coloring it differently. Mariann Simms, Wetumpka, AL (2003 Winner) | :They had but one last remaining night together, so they embraced each other as tightly as that two-flavor entwined string cheese that is orange and yellowish-white, the orange probably being a bland Cheddar and the white . . . Mozzarella, although it could possibly be Provolone or just plain American, as it really doesn't taste distinctly dissimilar from the orange, yet they would have you believe it does by coloring it differently. Mariann Simms, Wetumpka, AL (2003 Winner) | ||
*In [[humorous]] [[science fiction]] [[novel]]s: | *In [[humorous]] [[science fiction]] [[novel]]s: | ||
| − | :The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't. [ | + | :The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Adams Douglas Adams], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] (1978) |
| − | + | ==See also== | |
| + | *'''''[[Pathos]]''''' | ||
[[Category: Languages and Literature]] | [[Category: Languages and Literature]] | ||
Latest revision as of 23:40, 12 December 2020
Origin
Definitions
- 1a : the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or style
- b : anticlimax
- 2: exceptional commonplaceness : triteness
- 3: insincere or overdone pathos : sentimentalism
Description
Bathos (Greek βάθος, meaning depth) is an abrupt transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect. While often unintended, bathos may be used deliberately to produce a humorous effect. If bathos is overt, it may be described as Burlesque or mock-heroic. It should not be confused with pathos, a mode of persuasion within the discipline of rhetoric, intended to arouse emotions of sympathy and pity.
Examples often take the form of analogies, written to seem unintentionally funny:
- The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest features purple prose, at times exhibiting bathos:
- They had but one last remaining night together, so they embraced each other as tightly as that two-flavor entwined string cheese that is orange and yellowish-white, the orange probably being a bland Cheddar and the white . . . Mozzarella, although it could possibly be Provolone or just plain American, as it really doesn't taste distinctly dissimilar from the orange, yet they would have you believe it does by coloring it differently. Mariann Simms, Wetumpka, AL (2003 Winner)
- The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't. Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1978)
