Bathos (/ˈbeɪθɒs/ BAY-thoss; Greek: βάθος, lit. "depth") is a literary term first coined by Alexander Pope's 1727 essay "Peri Bathous" to describe amusingly failed attempts at sublimity (i.e., pathos). In particular, bathos is associated with anticlimax, an abrupt transition from a lofty style or grand topic to a common or vulgar one. This may be either accidental (through artistic ineptitude) or intentional (for comic effect).