Brevitas

Brevitas is a rhetorical style defined in Rhetorica ad Herennium as "the expressing of an idea by the very minimum of essential words."[1][2] "Shit happens" and "c'est la vie" are examples.

By implying more than is said, it is distinguished from tautology and understatement.

Brevitas is related to aphorism, parataxis, sprezzatura and elliptic linguistic style.[3][4] It contrasts with periphrasis, aureation and pleonasm.

See also

References
  1. Blacketer (2006). The School of God: Pedagogy and Rhetoric in Calvin's Interpretation of Deuteronomy. ISBN 9781402039133.
  2. "Changing Minds: Brevitas".
  3. Thijs Weststeijn (2008). The Visible World: Samuel Van Hoogstraten's Art Theory and the Legitimation of Painting in the Dutch Golden Age. Amsterdam University Press. pp. 231–234. ISBN 9789089640277.
  4. Heinrich F. Plett (2010). Literary Rhetoric: Concepts — Structures — Analyses. Brill Publishers. p. 188. ISBN 978-9004171138.
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