Anagnoristic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A term referring to a critical point in storytelling when a character achieves recognition of important truths about themselves or their situation
2. An expression denoting the significant moment in a plot where a character realizes essential information about themselves or others
3. A concept indicating a pivotal moment in literature when a character gains profound self-awareness or insight into their circumstances or relationships

Etymology: Anagnorisis is the Greek word for "recognition," and it entered critical vocabulary through Aristotle. In his "Poetics," written around 335 BCE, he listed it as one of the key elements of tragedy, alongside peripeteia, or reversal of fortune. He defined it as a change from ignorance to knowledge, most powerfully when a character discovers the identity of another person, as Oedipus does when he learns who he really is. The Greek parts are "ana-," meaning "again" or "back," and "gnōrizein," "to know" or "to recognize," so the literal sense is something like "knowing again." The adjective "anagnoristic" is a modern formation from that noun, built with the English suffix "-istic," which forms adjectives meaning "pertaining to" or "characteristic of." It is a technical term used mainly in literary criticism and drama studies, so it describes a scene, device or structure, such as an "anagnoristic scene," rather than a character's feeling.

Synonyms: recognitional