Speeches can aim to confuse the interlocutor.
A rant is an expression that is inappropriate or inconsequential , causing annoyance and discomfort. The term is usually applied to those speeches or monologues that do not provide valuable information and end up boring or annoying the listener.
For example: “The whole spiel bored me: when are they going to explain what is really important?” , “Stop the spiel and get to the point,” “The governor has already tired the population with his spiel; "It is time for transcendent decisions and not for speeches."
Origin of the term rant
Before entering fully into establishing the meaning of the term, it is interesting to determine its etymological origin. And in this sense, we can say that it derives from the Latin perorare , which can be translated as “explain a speech.”
In ancient times, the speech was the most important part of the message , the one where the arguments were presented and supported. Over time, the concept took on an ironic tone, becoming just the opposite.
Speeches are statements that are unimportant and do not provide useful information.
About the concept
The notion of a peroration, in short, is usually applied to those words that lack importance and depth . This is a derogatory adjective that belittles the expression in question.
Suppose a presidential candidate gives a speech during the election campaign. His opponents are likely to call it a rant, pointing out that the words spoken are of no value.
The rant can also be considered to be intended to distract or confuse people. When a ruler must provide explanations about a controversial issue or a complaint, he may try to escape with a speech. In this way, he will appear in public (he may even speak for an extended period of time), but he will not provide information of interest to society.
rant in literature
Within the literary field, we would have to highlight the existence of a work that precisely uses the word in question in its title. This is “The Plagued's Perorata” . It was in 1981 that the Italian writer Gesualdo Bufalino (1920-1996) published this novel that quickly achieved great success both inside and outside the country's borders. Hence, he won various awards, such as the Campiello Prize .
A decade later, that novel, which revolves around life in a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients, was brought to the big screen. There various characters live together daily and share their impressions about their present and even how they expect their death to come. Among all these figures, both the hospital doctor, known as Gran Flaco , and Marta , a patient with whom the protagonist will live a unique love story, stand out.
On the other hand, it is also worth highlighting the book “Peroratas” by Fernando Vallejo , which is practically a tour of the ideas and vision that its author has of the world. Thus, it speaks of the human being as a basic entity that is fundamentally carried away by two things: sex and food.