Longinus, like Horace, takes a pragmatic position in his literary theory Essay Example For Students

Longinus, like Horace, takes a pragmatic position in his literary theory Essay Longinus, like Horace, takes a pragmatic position in his literary theory. His central question is, what is good writing, and how may it be achieved? His first answer is that good writing partakes of what he calls the sublime. In the classical historical tradition, the sublime implies that man can, in emotions and in language; transcend the limits of the human condition. According to Longinus sublime is a blend of art and nature. Sublimity consists of excellence and distinction in expression. The effect of elevated language is not to persuade others but to entrance them. The effect of persuading the audience is on the artists hand. Irresistible force and mastery as well as the control of the hearer should be all in the poets sphere. In Longinus words à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a well timed stroke of sublimity scatters everything before it like a thunderbolt, and in a flash reveals the full power of the speaker. An excellent work will uplift our soul. It feels as if the work of art is of our own c reation. Longinus first brings out the defects some poets tend to make when they write poetry. He advice poets to avoid such imperfections like tumidity Pompous style, puerility silly and parenthyrsus misplaces emotions. Tumidity means pomposity in style of writing. He accuses many poets like Gorgias, Callisthenes and Amphicrates for using high flown expressions and confused imagery such as Xerxes the Zeus of the Persians or vultures, animated sepulchers . Puerility is another flaw of poets. This makes the poets write in an ignoble way. There is another mistake some poets make which is parenthyrsus or false sentiment. Writers sometimes get carried away by plots and outbursts of emotions which are not relevant to the matter in hand. Longinus goes on to identify five elements of the sublime: 1 the power of forming great conceptions; 2 vehement and inspired passion; 3 the due formation of figures; 4 noble diction; 5 dignified and elevated composition. He recognizes great art by the presence of great ideas; great ideas, in turn, are conceived of by great men: It is not possible that men with mean and servile ideas and aims prevailing throughout their lives should produce anything that is admirable and worthy of immortality. Great accents we expect to fall from the lips of those whose thoughts are deep and grave. These great men capable of great ideas will also be capable of deep and sincere feeling which transcends the overemotional sentiments of parenthyrsus. The vehement and inspired passion required for the sublime will, like great ideas, spring only from those without mean and servile ideas. The due formation of figures concerns those ways in which elevated thought and feeling may be best expressed: a figure is at its best when the very fact that it is a figure escapes attention. Noble language is that which transports the audience without distracting the audience: it is language which is transparent to the transcendentto  borrow one of Joseph Campbells favorite phrases. Dignified and elevated composition is that which forms important elements into a natural unity. As stated by Longinus good ideas are a mirror image of a good soul. If the mind is corrupted and unprincipled one can not create beautiful art. Such work will not be eternalized. For great ideas Longinus brings out extracts from Homers Iliad. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the silence of Ajax in the Calling Up of the Spirits is grand, more sublime than any words. Such good words will be immortalized for ever and Longinus also says he respect Homer for the heroism used in his epics. But he criticizes Homer for creating gods with human defects. Longinus also recognizes when a writer becomes mature in age he tends to lose the spirit of exuberance. In Odyssey Homer has a tendency to bring folks tales into his poetry. Longinus compares Homers late period to the setting sun. Longinus states that both Sappho and Homer used only what they need in a plot which bring out emotions that is important for their work. Longinus studies the devices enhanced by some poets. As worded by Longinus Demosthenes is compared to a thunderbolt, Cicero is like a wide spreading conflagration that rolls on to consume everything far and wide and Plato flows with such a noiseless stream, he none the less achieves grandeur. Twelfth Night Analysis EssayAccording to an internet source Longinus seems to fit squarely into the critical school described by T.S. Eliots Tradition and the Individual Talent. He recommends, as a way to the sublime, the imitation and emulation of previous great poets and writers a move which puts him more clearly into alignment with the Aristotelian view of poetry as an object-in-itself than to the Platonic view of poetryand any other mimetic artas 3x removed from reality. He treats poetry as an agonistic processanticipating Blooms anxiety of influencespeaking of Plato struggling with Homer for the primacy. The poet, in evaluating his work, should ask How would Homer and the other greats have expressed this or that matter? What would they think of my work? How will succeeding ages view my work?