Verisimilitude
Verisimilitude is a philosophical concept that refers to characters or events in a story that appears to be life-like, or believable. This concept is achieved by a writer, or storyteller, when he presents striking details which lend an air of authenticity to a tale (Beckson)[1].
Verisimilitude (Example)
An example of the term, verisimilitude, would be if an author writes about a man who falls off a cliff and he dies, it is believable. It is logical that a person can believe an event or character in a fiction story is real so, a story can have a degree of verisimilitude in fiction stories as well as non-fiction stories, as long as the reader feels that it is real (Wheeler). Note that even fantasy novels and science fiction stories that discuss impossible events can have verisimilitude if the reader is able to read them with suspended disbelief (Eagleton)[2]. To say that a work has a high degree of verisimilitude means that the work is very realistic and believable--it is "true to life" (Harris)[3].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Beckson, Karl and Arthur Ganz. "Verisimiltude." Literary Terms: A Dictionary. 1975 [1]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Eagleton, Terry. "Verisimiltude." Literary Theory: An Introduction. 1983 [2]
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Harris, Robert. "Verisimilitude." A Glossary of Literary Terms. 22May1997.[3]
- ↑ Dr. L. Wheeler, Kip. "Verisimilitude." Literary Terms and Definitions:V. 1998-2003. <http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/wheeler/lit_terms_V.html>
Works Cited
- Cuddon, J.A. "Verisimilitude." The Penguin Dictionary Of Literary Terms and Literary Theory fourth edition. 1976,1977,1979,1991,1998.
- Cuddon, J.A. Penguin Books, London. "Verisimilitude." Bibliography: A Dictionary of Literary Terms, 1977 [4]
- Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. "Verisimilitude." Merriam-Webster's Encylopedia of Literature 1995
- Mifflin, Houghton. "Verisimilitude." Webster’s II New College Dictionary. 2001,1999,1995