Deus ex machina is a tool used in stories to solve a difficult problem suddenly. It happens when an unexpected event fixes a problem that seemed impossible to solve. This tool helps end the story, surprise readers, create a happy ending, or add humor.
Denouement is a part of a story’s structure where most plot lines usually end, and events are explained. It often comes after the climax. The word comes from the French term dénouement, which means “to untie a knot.” This idea is based on the Latin word nodus, meaning “knot.” In classical drama, the final resolution is often called catastrophe.
In philosophy and linguistics, the denotation of a word or expression refers to its exact or literal meaning. For example, the English word “warm” denotes the quality of having a high temperature. Denotation is different from other parts of meaning, such as connotation.
Decorum, from the Latin word meaning “right” or “proper,” is a principle in classical rhetoric, poetry, and theatrical theory that refers to whether a style is suitable for a particular subject in theater. The concept of decorum also includes rules about how people should behave in certain situations according to social expectations.
Decasyllable (Italian: decasillabo, French: décasyllabe, Serbian: десетерац, deseterac) is a type of poetic meter with ten syllables used in traditions that count syllables in verse. In languages with a stress accent (where rhythm depends on stressed syllables), it is similar to pentameter with alternating unstressed and stressed syllables, like iambic pentameter. Medieval French heroic stories (called chansons de geste) were often written in ten-syllable lines, which became known as “heroic verse.” These lines usually had a pause after the fourth syllable.
Decadence was a movement that started in the late 1800s. It focused on exciting, unusual, and exaggerated experiences. It also sometimes refers to a drop in quality in areas like art, literature, science, and work habits.
Le Débat was a French magazine published every two months from 1980 to 2020. It was started by Pierre Nora and Marcel Gauchet and connected to left-wing politics in France. It was called the most important intellectual magazine in France during the late 20th century.
A dandy is a man who values physical appearance and personal grooming, speaks in a refined way, and enjoys leisure activities. A dandy may be a man who creates his own success and image, imitating the lifestyle of the aristocracy even if he was born into a middle-class family. This was especially common in Britain during the late 1700s and early 1800s.
In Greek mythology, the Dactyls, also called Daktyloi, were an ancient group of mythical beings linked to the Great Mother, known as Cybele or Rhea. Their numbers changed depending on the story, but they were often described as ten spirit-like beings, similar to the three Korybantes or the Cabeiri. These beings were skilled in metalworking and healing.
The curtal sonnet is a poetic form created by Gerard Manley Hopkins and used in three of his poems. It has eleven lines, or more accurately, ten-and-a-half lines. Unlike a standard sonnet, it follows the structure of a Petrarchan sonnet, but each section is three-quarters the length of its original form.