"What is Verisimilitude?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

What is verisimilitude and how does it relate to literature? When should writers strive for verisimilitude and what are some examples of verisimilitude in stories? In this short lesson, Senior Lecturer Gilad Elbom answers these questions using examples from everyday life and Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City. The video is designed to help high school and college English students identify and analyze this term in their literature classes.

Spanish subtitles are now available for this video. To access these subtitles, click on the settings icon in the video.

The video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University. For more discussions of literary topics and essay writing tips, please subscribe to the free SWLF YouTube Channel or visit https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms

Timestamps
0:00 Verisimilitude Definition
0:49 Verisimilitude Example
2:10 Verisimilitude Literary Example
3:11 Limits of Verisimilitude in Literature
4:02 Limits of Verisimilitude in Other Art Forms
4:40 Conclusion

Please drop us a comment letting us know what literary terms you would like us to explore in future videos!