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Longinus On The Sublime
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Longinus On The Sublime
This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduct...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
by Facsimiles-Garl
(first published 100)
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Jul 21, 2012
Evan Leach
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
0-999,
roman-literature
This little book, written by an unknown author sometime in the first century AD*, is the most significant piece of literary criticism surviving from ancient Rome. The author argues that exceptional (or “sublime”) writing contains at least one of five features:
(i) The power to conceive “great thoughts,” either through an author’s natural talent or by the author’s use of imitative and/or visualization techniques.
(ii) Strong and inspired emotion. This portion of the book is no longer extant.
(iii)...more
(i) The power to conceive “great thoughts,” either through an author’s natural talent or by the author’s use of imitative and/or visualization techniques.
(ii) Strong and inspired emotion. This portion of the book is no longer extant.
(iii)...more
4 likes · like · see review
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It surprises me that Longinus is not as well as known as I think he should be, given the influence of his ideas. I'll say this, though: anyone who cares about putting words together in order to express something of him or herself to the world should read On the Sublime. "Longinus" (the identity of the man who wrote this collection of writings has never been clearly established by scholars) was one of the earliest thinkers (around the first century AD) who saw in words their ability, given the pr...more
3 likes · like · see review
Not much to add to the remark Gibbon made about Longinus in his journal:
"Till now, I was acquainted only with two ways of criticizing a beautiful passage: the one, to show, by an exact anatomy of it, the distinct beauties of it, and whence they sprung; the other, an idle exclamation, or a general encomium, which leaves nothing behind it. Longinus has shown me a third. He tells me his own feelings upon it; and tells them with such energy, that he communicates them." (Oct. 4, 1762)
One star off for...more
"Till now, I was acquainted only with two ways of criticizing a beautiful passage: the one, to show, by an exact anatomy of it, the distinct beauties of it, and whence they sprung; the other, an idle exclamation, or a general encomium, which leaves nothing behind it. Longinus has shown me a third. He tells me his own feelings upon it; and tells them with such energy, that he communicates them." (Oct. 4, 1762)
One star off for...more
It's remarkable that nobody knows who Longinus was taking into account that this work still exists and is considered highly influential. It's estimated that he or she wrote this book in the first century, A.D. and there are several missing parts. It's interesting to read this early attempt at pinning down what exactly makes a written work transcendent. One of my favorite lines: "..that Nature determined man to be no low or ignoble animal; but introducing us into life and this entire universe as...more
Good read. It contains many worthwhile tips for producing great writing, but it does get a little tedious wading through the ancient Greek examples.
If you liked Aristotle's Poetics, you will love this book!
"Moreover, the expression of the sublime is more exposed to danger when it goes its own way without the guidance of knowledge -- when it is suffered to be unstable and unballasted -- when it is left at the mercy of mere momentum and ignorant audacity. It is true that it often needs the spur, but it is also true that it often needs the curb."
Damn you, Longinus, for being so right 1800 years ago.
Damn you, Longinus, for being so right 1800 years ago.
some great passages on what makes good writing. Also, the ending has a wonderful passage about money as a false god. strangely current
Mar 03, 2013
James Hesiod
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
criticism-theocratic
Dec 26, 2012
Rebecca Schuh
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
academic-readings-that-i-also-love
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“Sublime natures are seldom clean!”
—
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