chiasmus
(en)
(noun) a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form; e.g. ‘Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds.’.
Highlighted phrases
chiasmus
the two sides of that chiasmus would be in constant tension
I vaguely remember trying to memorise this term for IB English but I guess I forgot ... referring to DFW's attempt to pursue "morally passionate, passionately moral fiction"
uncertain
6 years, 11 months ago
the word 'inexorable' is itself inexorable [...] by the rainbow sweep of vowels which, in its cadence, describes an implacable curve--each syllable peels off irrevocably, culminating in the chiasmus of the 'X'
omg
notable
6 years, 4 months ago
Storytelling and literature can also be viewed as a chiastic structure: the social power of management storytelling intersects with the social powerlessness and marginalization of literature
cool
notable
4 years, 1 month ago
Wallace leaves the guy there, crucified in the shape of an X, a chiasmus, a portrait of profound stuckness
notable
3 years, 4 months ago
Yes, they seem to have a teeth-grinding fondness for the rhetorical figure of chiasmus (“We can build on the strength of our diversity, and the diversity of our strengths”).
notable
4 years, 4 months ago
Death, of course, is the ultimate containment; other, less final containments are conversely strategies toward genocide. Perfect chiasmus.
uncertain
5 years, 5 months ago
An attitude might be expressed with just a shift in emphasis, a teasing chiasmus: “Raindrop, drop top” (“Bad and Boujee”).
notable
4 years, 11 months ago