formalism

n.

1. Rigorous or excessive adherence to recognized forms, as in religion or art.
2. An instance of rigorous or excessive adherence to recognized forms.
3. A method of aesthetic analysis that emphasizes structural elements and artistic techniques rather than content, especially in literary works.

formalist for'mal·ist adj. & n.
formalistic for'mal·is'tic adj.
formalistically for'mal·is'ti·cal·ly adv.

formalism, in the most general sense, the cultivation of artistic technique at the expense of subject‐matter, either in literary practice or in criticism. The term has been applied, often in a derogatory sense, to several kinds of approach to literature in which form is emphasized in isolation from a work's meanings or is taken as the chief criterion of aesthetic value. In modern critical discussion, however, the term frequently refers more specifically to the principles of certain Russian and Czech theorists: for this sense, see Russian Formalism.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: the doctrine that formal structure rather than content is what should be represented
  Antonym: imitation (meaning #1)

Meaning #2: the philosophical theory that formal (logical or mathematical) statements have no meaning but that its symbols (regarded as physical entities) exhibit a form that has useful applications

Meaning #3: the practice of scrupulous adherence to prescribed or external forms

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - formalisme

Nederlands (Dutch)
schoolsheid, vormelijkheid, formalisme (nadruk op vorm ten koste van inhoud)

Français (French)
n. - formalisme, académisme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Formalismus

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φιλοσ.) φορμαλισμός, τυποκρατία, τυπολατρία, προσκόλληση στην παράδοση

Italiano (Italian)
formalismo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - formalismo (m)

Русский (Russian)
формализм, педантичность

Español (Spanish)
n. - academicismo, formalismo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - formalism

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
拘泥形式, 虚礼, 形式主义

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 拘泥形式, 虛禮, 形式主義

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 형식주의, 허식

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 極端な形式主義, 形式主義

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الشكليه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קפדנות, פורמליזם‬

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