In keeping with the theme of new vocabulary that started last week with words John Koenig had made up to describe emotions people have, I’ve come across some unusual words just for book lovers. Here are my two favorites from a list compiled by Oxford Dictionary:
1. hamartia
Perhaps one of the most gut-wrenching moments in a reading experience is a beloved character’s downfall. Hamartia refers specifically to a fatal flaw that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine. Hamartia is dominantly used in Aristotle’s Poetics to describe the destruction of heroes due to ignorance.
Some instances of hamartia are so serious that readers may engage in finifugal, which is shunning the end (of anything). Conveniently forgetting the ending of a book that dissatisfied you is a reader’s main coping mechanism when disappointed.
Confession: The real reason I picked this one is for finifugal. This is what I’m going to blame in the future for why I can never remember the endings of books or movies. I’ll pretend it’s a coping mechanism, not just because I have a defective memory.
I remember the endings of books and movies I really loved. But all those mediocre ones? Especially action-packed ones that aren’t going to win any awards for depth of character? I never remember those endings.
Which I suppose makes rewatching them more interesting than it might otherwise be.
Of course, how good is it really to have the ability to watch a mediocre movie more than once? The answer is not very good.
I’m not counting finifugal under one of my superpowers.
2. scripturient
A scripturient is simply someone who has a passion for writing…And even more interestingly, scripturients tend to get their work done in scriptoriums, also known as a room set apart for writing (often found in monasteries where manuscripts were copied). Way cooler than a personal office!
Yes. It is way cooler than a personal office. And infinitely cooler than sitting at the kitchen table. I’m declaring my dining room my scriptorium.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, my scriptorium is about to be invaded by a horde of miniature barbarians expecting breakfast.
