Sentimentality facts for kids
Sentimentality is when someone shows a lot of emotion, sometimes more than a situation really needs. It can be a way to make people feel strong emotions, but it often feels a bit too much or not quite genuine.
For example, if a movie tries too hard to make you cry with sad music and a very sad story, that could be seen as sentimental. It's like trying to get a big emotional reaction without it feeling completely natural.
What is Sentimentality?
Sentimentality is about having strong feelings, but often in a way that seems overdone. It can also mean feeling emotional about things that don't really deserve such a strong reaction.
How Did the Meaning Change?
The word sentimental used to just mean "full of feeling." But around the 1800s, its meaning started to change. People began to see it as a negative thing.
- It started to mean "too much feeling" or "excessive emotion."
- Now, it often describes feelings that are not really needed for a situation.
Famous Quotes About Sentimentality
Some famous writers have talked about sentimentality.
- The writer Oscar Wilde once said that a sentimental person "wants to have the luxury of an emotion without paying for it." This means they want to feel good or sad without truly experiencing the real reasons behind those feelings.
- William Butler Yeats, another famous writer, said: "Rhetoric is fooling others. Sentimentality is fooling yourself." He meant that when you are sentimental, you are tricking yourself into feeling emotions that might not be truly honest or deep.
These quotes show that sentimentality is often seen as a less honest or less deep kind of emotion. It's about showing feelings that might not be truly felt or are simply too much for the situation.
