[f. prec. + -ISM. Cf. F. littéralisme.]
1. The disposition to accept and interpret the terms of a statement in their literal sense.
1644. Milton, Divorce, II. xvii. If none of these considerations … can avail to the dispossessing him of his precious Literalism, let [etc.].
1845. J. H. Newman, Ess. Developm., 324. Diodorus and Theodore of Mopsuestia,… the most eminent masters of literalism in the succeeding generation.
1865. Lecky, Ration., I. iii. 342. The doctrine was stated with the utmost literalism and precision.
1882. Farrar, Early Chr., I. 385. Extravagant literalism has been even more fatal to exegesis than extravagant allegorising.
2. Literality as a principle of translation; a peculiarity of expression due to this.
1883. A. Roberts, O. T. Revision, xi. 224. The great characteristic of the translation of Aquila is its extreme literalism.
Mod. Some of the translator’s literalisms are very ungraceful.
3. Fine Arts. The disposition to represent objects (occas. to interpret representations) faithfully, without any idealization.
1863. Hawthorne, Our Old Home (1883), I. 208. On considering this face of Charles … and translating it from the ideal into literalism, I doubt [etc.].
188[?]. Studio, III. 147 (Cent.). He shunned the literalism of both form and color that jarred the ideal vision.
