catastasis

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English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κατάστασις (katástasis, settling, appointment).

Pronunciation

Noun

catastasis (countable and uncountable, plural catastases)

  1. In classical drama, the second and penultimate section, in which action is heightened for the catastrophe.
    • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses:
      It doubles itself in the middle of his life, reflects itself in another, repeats itself, protasis, epitasis, catastasis, catastrophe.
    • 1965, John Fowles, The Magus:
      The object of the meta-theatre is precisely that – to allow the participants to see through their first roles in it. But that is only the catastasis.
  2. (rhetoric) The part of a speech that states the subject to be discussed.