Trope (literature)
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| Many authors have twisted (or troped) topoi into new forms to great success. [[Stephen King]] has been noteworthy for taking older horror tropes and reworking them into the modern world to great effect. Tropes may also serve as guides for writers trying to strengthen the overall effectiveness of their work (i.e., asking such questions as: what trope am I working with in this poem/story?). | Many authors have twisted (or troped) topoi into new forms to great success. [[Stephen King]] has been noteworthy for taking older horror tropes and reworking them into the modern world to great effect. Tropes may also serve as guides for writers trying to strengthen the overall effectiveness of their work (i.e., asking such questions as: what trope am I working with in this poem/story?). | ||
| + | ==In rethorics== | ||
| + | [[Rhetorician]]s have closely analyzed the bewildering array of "turns and twists" used in [[poetry]] and [[literature]] and have provided an extensive list of precise labels for these poetic devices. Some examples include: | ||
| + | *[[metaphor]] | ||
| + | *[[metonymy]] | ||
| + | *[[irony]] | ||
| + | *[[oxymoron]] | ||
| + | *[[hyperbole]] | ||
| + | *[[litotes]] | ||
| + | *[[antithesis]] | ||
| + | *[[synecdoche]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | For a longer list, see [[Rhetorician|Rhetorical remedies]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Since the 1970s, the word has also come to mean a commonly recurring motif or device, a [[cliché]]. However, there has been some push back towards trope being a synonym for cliche and is now used to denote something that, while similar in definition, does not carry the stigma that cliche currently does (i.e., a trope has not been done to the point of exhaustion, at which point it would become a cliche). | ||
| + | |||
| == Related == | == Related == | ||
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| * [[Fantasy tropes and conventions]] | * [[Fantasy tropes and conventions]] | ||
| * [[TV Tropes Wiki]] is a site listing numerous literary tropes, not only on TV. | * [[TV Tropes Wiki]] is a site listing numerous literary tropes, not only on TV. | ||
| + | * [[Trope (linguistics)]] | ||
| + | * [[Figure of speech]] | ||
| + | |||
| [[Category:Trope]] | [[Category:Trope]] | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 09:33, 3 August 2011
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Trope comes from the Greek word, tropos, which means a "turn". We can imagine a trope as a way of turning a word away from its normal meaning, or turning it into something else.
Contents |
Comparison to topos
In literature, a topos is a familiar and repeated symbol, meme, theme, motif, style, character or thing that permeates a particular type of literature. They are usually tied heavily to genre. For example, topoi in horror literature and film include the mad scientist or a dark and stormy night. Topoi can also be plots or events, such as the science fiction topoi of an alien invasion that is deterred at the last minute.
A "topos" is not to be confused with a "trope," which is a common mistake. A "trope" (Greek "twisting," referring to irregularity of use) denotes any kind of figurative language (e.g., metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, irony) that deviates from the commonplace. A "topos" (Gk. "place") refers to a commonplace or a convention within a given genre of literature. Thus, the mad scientist would be a topos — or better, a stock character — of horror films.
Many authors have twisted (or troped) topoi into new forms to great success. Stephen King has been noteworthy for taking older horror tropes and reworking them into the modern world to great effect. Tropes may also serve as guides for writers trying to strengthen the overall effectiveness of their work (i.e., asking such questions as: what trope am I working with in this poem/story?).
In rethorics
Rhetoricians have closely analyzed the bewildering array of "turns and twists" used in poetry and literature and have provided an extensive list of precise labels for these poetic devices. Some examples include:
For a longer list, see Rhetorical remedies.
Since the 1970s, the word has also come to mean a commonly recurring motif or device, a cliché. However, there has been some push back towards trope being a synonym for cliche and is now used to denote something that, while similar in definition, does not carry the stigma that cliche currently does (i.e., a trope has not been done to the point of exhaustion, at which point it would become a cliche).
Related
character - cliché - fiction - figure of speech - genre - metaphor - repetition - stereotype - stock characters and situations
Examples
damsel-in-distress - death and the maiden - doppelgänger - lesbian vampire - mad scientist - sadistic warden - white slavery
See also
- Fantasy tropes and conventions
- TV Tropes Wiki is a site listing numerous literary tropes, not only on TV.
- Trope (linguistics)
- Figure of speech
