Lars Eighner's Homepage Writers' Workshop Glossary: I

I

illusion / allusion See: allusion / illusion

illusion / hallucination / delusion [mistaken]

All three words mean a mistaken impression. The classic analogy for making the distinctions is this: If you believe you see a spider on the wall where there really is just a stain, that is an illusion. If you perceive a spider where there is not a stain or anything else that could be mistaken for a spider, that is a hallucination. If your friend brushes his hand over the wall, demonstrating that there is no spider, but you continue to believe a spider is there, that is a delusion.

illusion noun: a mistaken impression based on misinterpretation of perceptions, facts, or ideas. Illusions are fairly common occurrences both in direct interpretation of sensory data, as with the spider which really was a stain, and misinterpretations of facts as when a person interprets the interest of another person as being romantic when in fact it is financial. Normal people in normal circumstances ocassionally experience illusions, both of perception and belief, and sometimes, as in optical illusions and magic tricks, illusions are intentionally induced.
hallucination noun: a sensory impression without any basis in reality. Hallucinations may be caused by drug use, physical diseases such as fever or brain tumors, or mental illness. The term does not usually refer to beliefs or conclusions.
delusion noun: a belief or conclusion that is utterly without foundation in fact or that is demonstrably false. Delusions usually indicate a seriously mental disorder. If you believe a prospective partner loves you for yourself when in fact the person is interested in your money, you have an illusion. You are mistaken about the nature of the person's interest, but the interest is real enough. If you believe an utter stranger is madly in love with you, in spite of your having never met the person or in spite of the person refusing your letters, calls, and gifts, then you have a delusion. Not only are you mistaken about your conclusion, but there every evidence that your conclusion is unwarranted and contrary to fact.

infamous / famous See: famous / infamous

,in·tro`duc·tion /,Intr@'d@kS@n/ noun

Front matter of a book written by someone other than the author of the main body of the work. Works of fiction seldom have introductions while the author is still living, with the exception of the few novels in which the introduction is part of the fiction and is, in fact, written by the author, but attributed to a fictional person. When an introduction is thought necessary, publishers often commission it separately.

i`tal·ic /I't&lIk/

(printing)

1 : (adjective) of a type face, indicating a style with slanted letters, with strokes that vary in width, and with serifs, if any, attached with curves rather than by angles. Some font families do not have italic versions. In such cases, computer programs will slant the normal font to produce a imitation italic face. The slanted version is seldom as attractive as a true italic face; serifs if any are attached at angles rather than with curves and the strokes do not vary in width. A style produced by slanting the roman face is sometimes called "oblique" whether was actually designed as an oblique face or is calculated on the fly from a roman face. In some sans serif styles, italic fonts do not provide much contrast in context to the roman fonts.
2 : (noun: usually in the plural) material set in an italic font. Italics are often used to indicate emphasis, for editorial comments, and for citations including the titles of other works of literature. In fiction italics are sometimes used for thoughts, letters, or real or fictional quotations from other works. When passages are entered in italics, the relationship of italics and the normal body style (roman, sense 2) is reversed and roman is used for emphasis and citations. Italics are indicated in paper manuscripts and copy by underlining, not by the use of an italic or oblique font.