Verisimilitude

1. Verisimilitude • Verisimilitude: the appearance or illusion of reality in a piece of writing • veri= “true,” simil= “like, similar” • It’s what makes nonfiction and realistic fiction seem realistic • Many factors contribute to building verisimilitude, including imagery, anecdotes, and local color

2. Imagery • Imagery: language that communicates ideas that appeal to the 5 human senses • “Tumbleweeds scuttle down Salton City’s broad, desolate, boulevards. Sun-bleached FOR SALE signs line the curbs and paint peels from uninhabited buildings. A placard in the window of the Salton Sea Realty and Development Company declares CLOSED/CERRADO. Only the rattle of the wind interrupts the spectral quiet” (ITW 49)

3. Anecdotes • Anecdotes: small stories that illustrate an author’s point about something • “He tried his hand at many sports but had little patience learning the finer points of any of them. When he went skiing during family vacations in Colorado, he seldom bothered to turn; he’d simply crouch in a gorilla tuck, feet spread wide for stability, and point the boards straight down the hill” (ITW 110).

4. Local Color • Local Color: regional or local terms that are typical of a distinct area or culture • Can refer to a geographic area (e.g. the American Southwest) or a subculture (e.g. computer programmers) • “My rig is a jacked-up eighty-two Dodge four by four with thirty-eight-inch rubber on it” (ITW 11) • “rubber tramps” vs. “leather tramps”