AUXESIS - 2 reference results
Auxesis is a form of hyperbole, in which something is referred to by a term disproportionate to its importance for the very purpose of amplifying that thing's importance or gravity.
It can be contrasted with meiosis and litotes, which make deliberate use of understatement.
Examples
- A lawyer may refer to a scratch as a "wound" or "laceration."
- A book may be referred to as a "volume" or "tome."
- Referring to a film as a "drama" or an "epic," when the intent is to lend a sense of importance or majesty.
- Calling the body of work that a newcomer has produced in a field a literary canon.
References
- Corbett, Edward P.J. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student. Oxford University Press, New York, 1971.
See also
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Last updated on Wednesday July 30, 2008 at 22:34:56 PDT (GMT -0700)
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Wednesday July 30, 2008 at 22:34:56 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
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