I recently read Terry Pratchett’s 34th Discworld novel Thud!. The Discworld is a flat spinning disc inhabited by various creatures – humans, dwarves, trolls, and others.

In Thud!, a recurring gag is that instead of using the phrase ‘enlightening’ (or some variation thereof) when talking about a realisation or gain of knowledge, dwarves use the phrase ‘endarkening’. Of course they would say ‘endarkening’, dwarves live underground. Their natural happy state is to be in the dark.

It’s got me thinking, though: ‘Endarkening’ is such a lovely word. In current English language it’s used to literally mean becoming dark or obscure. I think it could be an interesting ironic twist to use it to mean a positive intellectual gain, but with an emotional loss.

These days I often find when reading an article that I find it enlightening in the sense of being more educated and knowledgeable after. But I won’t be enlightened in the emotional sense, with so many awful things happening, it’s important to know, but not always pleasant to know. I’m going to refer to such events as ‘endarkening’ or ‘endarkenment’.

Endarkening · Endarkenment

• To become aware of some new knowledge, to be enriched by some new experience, but to be left emotionally heavier than lighter.
• To become enlightened but not be happy about it.

Example:

I just read about the latest political deterioration going on in the east of Europe. It was a very endarkening article.