Euphuism

Literary/ Cultural Context Note

Leah Scragg (University of Manchester)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.03: English Writing and Culture: Renaissance (Elizabethan and Jacobean periods) , 1485-1625.
Vol. editors: William M. Hamlin (Washington State University), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University), Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Domains

Movements, styles and periods (literature)

Dates

Date of occurrence c.1580- c.1620

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Genres and Modes

Prose Fiction Narrative

Resources

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A term derived from the title of John Lyly's best-selling prose work,

Euphues; The Anatomy of Wit,

“euphuism” denotes the highly patterned prose style adopted by a host of writers in the last quarter of the sixteenth century, and credited with influencing the language of the Elizabethan court. Though the fundamental characteristics of the form did not originate with Lyly, the style has become synonymous with his work, in that he employed it more systematically and to greater effect than any of the many writers who sought to exploit his success. The style is rooted in antithetical balance, with sentences typically constructed of a series of paired clauses, matching one another syntactically but contrasting in meaning. Oppositions between phrases are pointed by sound patterning (notably…

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273 words

Citation: Scragg, Leah. "Euphuism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 June 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=360, accessed 21 November 2024.]