concettism
Noun (uncountable): - Elaborate or affected style in literature or art: "Concettism" refers to a literary or artistic style characterized by the excessive use of elaborate, witty, or far-fetched metaphors, conceits, and wordplay, often prioritizing ingenuity over clarity or natural expression. It is particularly associated with 17th-century Italian and Spanish poetry (e.g., the concettismo of Giambattista Marino or the conceptismo of Francisco de Quevedo).
- (The poet uses an elaborate, artificial style full of clever but forced comparisons.)
- (The painting is criticized for being overly ornate and intellectually showy rather than sincere.)
- (The speaker used so many clever but irrelevant metaphors that the message became unclear.)
"Baroque concettism": a specific historical term for the ornate style of the Baroque period, emphasizing paradox and surprise.
- Baroque concettism thrived in the courts of 17th-century Europe, where wit was prized above all. (This style flourished in aristocratic settings that valued intellectual play.)
"Concettism in modern poetry": a contemporary usage referring to any poetry that relies heavily on intellectual conceits.
- Some critics see concettism in the work of certain postmodern poets, who use convoluted metaphors to challenge traditional meaning. (Modern poets may revive the style for ironic or deconstructive purposes.)
Concettist (n): a writer or artist who employs concettism.
- The concettist delighted in creating intricate verbal puzzles for his readers. (The writer specialized in elaborate, witty metaphors.)
Conceit (n): a fanciful, elaborate metaphor or image, often extended throughout a poem; the core device of concettism.
- The poem's central conceit compared the lover's heart to a broken clock. (A far-fetched but clever metaphorical comparison.)
- Mannerism: an artistic style characterized by artificiality and exaggerated elegance.
- Preciosity: overrefinement in language or style, often with affected delicacy.
- Euphuism: an ornate, artificial style of writing (specifically Elizabethan English), similar in effect to concettism.
"To strain after wit": to try too hard to be clever, resulting in unnatural expression.
- The author's constant straining after wit led to a book full of concettism. (The author's excessive attempts at cleverness produced an artificial style.)
"To be lost in a maze of metaphors": to become confused by an overabundance of figurative language.
- The reader was lost in a maze of metaphors, a clear sign of concettism. (The elaborate metaphors obscured the meaning.)