Non sequitur (literary device)
{{short description|Conversational literary device}}
{{Distinguish|text=a non sequitur in the sense of a formal fallacy}}
{{italic title}}
A non sequitur ({{IPAc-en|lang|n|ɒ|n|_|ˈ|s|ɛ|k|w|ᵻ|t|ər}} {{respell|non|_|SEK|wit|ər}}, {{IPA|la-x-classic|noːn ˈsɛkᶣɪtʊr|lang|link=yes}}; "[it] does not follow") is a conversational literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is something said that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what preceded it,The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. Oxford University Press, 2009. seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing. This use of the term is distinct from the non sequitur in logic, where it is a fallacy.{{Cite web|date=2014-01-02|title=Non Sequitur - Examples and Definition of Non Sequitur|url=https://literarydevices.net/non-sequitur/|access-date=2021-08-31|website=Literary Devices|language=en-US}}
Etymology
The expression is Latin for "[it] does not follow".Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary. http://mw1.m-w.com/dictionary/non%20sequitur {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218101007/http://mw1.m-w.com/dictionary/non%20sequitur |date=2012-02-18 }} It comes from the words non meaning "not" and the verb sequi meaning "to follow".{{Cite web|title=Definition of NON SEQUITUR|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non+sequitur|access-date=2021-08-31|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en}}
Usage
A non sequitur can denote an abrupt, illogical, or unexpected turn in plot or dialogue by including a relatively inappropriate change in manner. A non sequitur joke sincerely has no explanation, but it reflects the idiosyncrasies, mental frames and alternative world of the particular comic persona.{{cite book |last1=Chambers |first1=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ThJJP4b21DwC&pg=PA75 |title=Parody: The Art that Plays with Art |publisher=Peter Lang Publishers |year=2010 |page=75 |isbn= 978-1433108693 |access-date=2014-09-17 |quote=Along with a rhythmic pattern, these jokes, however absurd they may be, build dual frames of reference, if not alternative worlds entirely reflecting the idiosyncrasies of the individual stand-up artist. }}
Comic artist Gary Larson's The Far Side cartoons are known for what Larson calls "absurd, almost non sequitur animal" characters, such as talking cows, to create a bizarre effect. He gives the example of a strip where "two cows in a field gaze toward burning Chicago, saying 'It seems that agent 6373 had accomplished her mission.'"{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1983/06/16/the-bizarre-side/ba464ceb-355f-4c9b-8f8d-d1b51c8f9f19/ |title=The Bizarre Side |last= Harrington|first= Richard|date=16 June 1983 |newspaper= Washington Post|access-date=12 August 2020 }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- The Koan: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2000.
- Shabo, Magedah Rhetoric, Logic, and Argumentation: A Guide for Student Writers. United States, Prestwick House, 2010.
External links
{{Wiktionary|non sequitur}}
- [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11742718 Getting It: Human Event-Related Brain Response to Jokes in Good and Poor Comprehenders] - "When asked to pick the punch-line of a joke from an array of choices, including straightforward endings, non sequitur endings, and the correct punch-line, RHD patients erred by picking non sequitur endings, indicating that they know surprise is necessary"
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