Abstract
This article discusses the critical comparison (σγκρισισ) of the styles of Demosthenes and Cicero in Longinus, On the Sublime 12.4-5. Many readers have claimed that Longinus here presents Demosthenes and Cicero as two different models of the sublime. A detailed analysis of the passage, however, reveals that while the two are both credited with grandeur (μγϵθωσ), they are in fact not treated on a par with respect to sublimity (ψωσ). While the style of Demosthenes is described with keywords of Longinus' conception of the sublime (ψωσ), Cicero's style is consistently associated with the quality of diffusion (χσισ), which is closely associated with amplification (αξησισ). Longinus' discussion of Cicero may have pleased the Roman readers in his audience, as he is presented as a canonical author of 'great' literature. We argue, however, that in the end, Longinus reserves the status of sublimity for his heroes of classical Greece.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 766–790 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | Mnemosyne |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 3 Sept 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2019 |
Funding
We would like to thank the two anonymous referees for their helpful comments and suggestions. The research for this article was partly funded by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO) through the VIDI project on \u2018Greek Criticism and Latin Literature. Classicism and Cultural Interaction in Late Republican and Early Imperial Rome\u2019 (2014-2018) and the Spinoza prize awarded to Ineke Sluiter in 2010. We thank Ineke Sluiter for supporting this research.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek |
Keywords
- Cicero
- Demosthenes
- Greek and Roman literary criticism
- the sublime