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Mar. 13th, 2008 09:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
besubversiveI am trying, without much luck, to remember the name of the literary device that involves a narrator saying that they aren't going to tell you something, but ultimately results in them telling you in a roundabout way by spending so much time describing what they WON'T tell you. For instance:
"I won't waste your time by describing the sumptuous meal that was served, with its various roasts and puddings and gratins. I'm not going to bore you by describing the great variety of fruit pies that were placed on the table, bursting with berries and apples and peaches, or by relating the delicious scents that wafted through the hall, both savory and sweet."
Does anyone know what that is called?
"I won't waste your time by describing the sumptuous meal that was served, with its various roasts and puddings and gratins. I'm not going to bore you by describing the great variety of fruit pies that were placed on the table, bursting with berries and apples and peaches, or by relating the delicious scents that wafted through the hall, both savory and sweet."
Does anyone know what that is called?
