If there’s one word that stands out to me from over a decade of English education, and education in general, it would be "verisimilitude." My English teacher (surprise, surprise) was the one that introduced the term to me. Actually, he referred to it in the adjective form, verisimilitudinous. Upon seeing it typed out with the red Microsoft Word squiggle underneath, I’m beginning to question whether it is even a word in that form. However, that’s water under the bridge. So, what's the meaning of the word? I do not study English or linguistics (and I just lumped together two very different things, actually) and I’m not going to break the word down for you. You can if you want. It's ver – similitude. From what I understand after two years of tutelage under this teacher, that is the quality of depicting an image of real life. I suppose that term could be applied to paintings or sculptures. In my case, it was for written pieces. More specifically, it was for written pieces.
More than anything else, verisimilitude was a measuring tool. It's almost a grading rubric if you will. Naturally, this necessitates a scale along which works of literature are placed. Verisimilitude is the scale that my teacher, and his teacher before him, chose for a contest that is almost universally debated: what establishes a quality piece of art within literature. Many scales are possible of course, but this was the one that he chose. It is also now the scale that I have come to accept and love.
However, what does it mean to “depict an image of real life?” How does one measure against this scale? Does it even work? These are the questions that I attempted to address in English classrooms. All in all, my grades tended to be a B- for those papers, so take that as you will. Initially, I considered "verisimilitude" to be nothing more than a buzz word that I would incorporate into my papers in an attempt to rack up more partial credit with my teacher. However, as I mentioned, it’s a concept that has grown on me. In attempting to address the question of what verisimilitude is, I would like to make a disclaimer and note that these definitions and postulations probably say more about my own beliefs than any inherent truths that may be established. So, to attempt an answer to this question, I will first note what I consider to be not-verisimilitudinous. It's Hawthorne. "The Scarlet Letter" was one of the central pillars of literature in high school English for me. It possesses beautiful uses of metaphor and allegory. The vivid descriptions of the decrepit prison, Pearl the demon child, and the frequent but appropriate use of allusions establish a beautiful piece of literature and it demonstrates the highest quality of thought. However, it is not a piece which makes use of verisimilitude. All of Hawthorne’s imagery and his allegories are a vessel for the deeper meanings that he attempts to establish. It does not establish a meaningful gem of life that I can definitively perceive. Rather, it contains a series of contrived symbols and descriptions.
On the other end of the spectrum is Hemingway’s "A Farewell to Arms." Hemingway’s simple syntax lacks much of the fluff that Hawthorne incorporates into his piece. Aside from making the piece infinitely more readable, this simple syntax also precludes the precise and complex diction that distracts more than it contributes to a piece. However, Hemingway also succeeds by attempting to reflect the meaning that is inherent in life, rather than bashing the reader over the head with allegory. When Frederic talks to the officers, their ignorance is ingrained within the conversation, but not directly presented to the reader as a metaphor. This ignorance can then be connected to the servile behavior of many soldiers in World War I who rushed forward into slaughter. Ultimately, this beauty results from the subtlety in conveying the meaning that is inherent in life.
