[bey-thos, -thaws, -thohs] 
| bathos (ˈbeɪθɒs) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a sudden ludicrous descent from exalted to ordinary matters or style in speech or writing |
| 2. | insincere or excessive pathos |
| 3. | triteness; flatness |
| 4. | the lowest point; nadir |
| [C18: from Greek: depth, from bathus deep] | |
bathos
(from Greek bathys, "deep"), unsuccessful, and therefore ludicrous, attempt to portray pathos in art, i.e., to evoke pity, sympathy, or sorrow. The term was first used in this sense by Alexander Pope in his treatise Peri Bathous; or, The Art of Sinking in Poetry (1728). Bathos may result from an inappropriately dignified treatment of the commonplace, the use of elevated language and imagery to describe trivial subject matter, or from such an exaggeration of pathos (emotion provoked by genuine suffering) as to become overly sentimental or ridiculous.
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θɒs