Critically examine Longinus's concept of sublime

What are the various sources of Sublime given by Longinus in his treatise ' On The Sublime?

' Or ' Sublimity is the echo of greatness of soul ' -Discuss .

Or Critically examine the sources of sublimity in literature as discussed by Longinus in his treatise " On Sublime . "

Or Critically examine Longinus's concept of sublime.

We must remember that Longinus (he of the third century ) was a " rhetorician. " He had studied grammar, and composition, an analytical criticism, with due attention to the rules of art and the proper use of words. metre and figures of speech. We do not know just in what way he may have specialized as year after year he gave of his knowledge to his pupils.

It may have been his duty to expound the structure of a " speech " and all the devices by which the orator or prose - writer aims at " persuasion ", with innumerable apt examples and quotations from an orderly store of knowledge; or explain all the rules of a tragedy or an epic, and the methods by which the poet instructs and pleases.

For to instruct and to delight " that throughout the centuries had been the admitted aim of the poet. And to persuade " - that was the object of the orator or writer of prose. To instruct, to delight, to persuade all the efforts of all the inspired bards, of all the brilliant historians, eloquent orators, and profound philosophers of the world had been summed up in that formula of three words. After all, they covered no mean field of effort.

To Homer, it was not a small matter that the minstrel had from God the gift of making men glad. Nor in the eyes of Aristophanes was it any slight on the poets that they held it their chief function " to make men better in some respect " - surely it was no paltry power to be able to make men wiser or more just And finally, there was the gift of the rhetorician- to capture men's minds, lead them, by harmonious language and most skillfully skilfully arranged arguments, to an opinion - in a word, to " persuade.

Longinus is a great figure in Graeco-Roman criticism. Abercrombie calls him " the first comparative critic of literature. " He is also a pioneer in the field of " analytical criticism. " As a critic, Longinus displays a rare breath and catholicity of outlook. He is free from prejudice. According to Atkins, " Longinus stands high as a judicial critic. "

" On the Sublime " is a fine essay by Longinus It is really a critical document of great worth and significance. it is the most precious legacy of the Graeco-Roman period to literary criticism is the modern age. Certainly, it is one of the choicest pieces of criticism that have come down to us from antiquity.

A rhetorician named Caecilius wrote an essay entitled " Concerning Sublimity " in the first century A. D. Longinus's essay On The Sublime is an attempt to do with the insufficiencies in rhetorician Caecilius's treatise " Concerning Sublimity. " Longinus thought that Caecilius had failed in his mission to poetry the sublime subjects. The treatise is very significant in the sense that treatise is a very high place among great criticism.

Longinus is equally praiseworthy. The treatise continued to exert its influence fill the 19th century. In our time, its significance is not dead. On the Sublime is a fine essay by an ancient critic Longinus. It is really a critical document of great value and significance. It is certainly the choicest piece of criticism that have come down to us from antiquity. As its title reveals the treatise is about sublimity in literature.

In the treatise, Longinus has thrown light on various aspects of sublimity. After speaking about the false and true sublimity, Longinus turns to the various sources of the sublime in literature. In section VII of the treatise, Longinus says: " There are five principal sources of elevated language.

Beneath these five varieties, there lies, as though it were a common foundation, the gift o discourse, which is indispensable. " The above extract shows that according to Longinus, there are five sources of sublimity. Of them, two are dependent on nature, while the remaining three are entirely subservient to technical skill

The sources of the Sublime

The five different sources of sublimity given by Longinus can be discussed as follows.

( 1 ) High thinking or Grandeur of thought-

The first source of sublimity, according to Longinus is ' high thinking ' or ' grandeur of thought. It holds the foremost rank among them all. This is because " Sublimity is the echo of a great soul. " A mean and ignoble person cannot produce is sublime work because his thoughts cannot be sublime.

A person unless he is a genius, cannot soar to great heights, if he has not lived laborious days in the company of the great and the noble and has not breathed their thoughts in writing. Longinus says: " It is impossible for those whose whole lives are full of mean and servile ideas and habits, to produce anything that is admirable and worthy of immortal life. It is only natural that great accounts should fall from the lips of those whose thoughts have always been deep and full of majesty. "

According to Longinus, stately thoughts belong to the loftiest minds. They are innate but can also be acquired by constantly dwelling on whatever is noble and sublime and also by emulating the examples of the great masters. Transport or exaltation is caused by the noblest thought finding their natural expression in the noble - language.

Longinus then cites several examples from Homer to illustrate and sublimity of conception. He considers Homer's Illiad superior to his Odyssey. In the Odyssey. Homer does not maintain the grandeur of thought as is Illiad. Similarly, there is a decline in grandeur in Milton's Paradise Regained which one notices in Paradise Lost. Thus grandeur of thought is the primary condition in judging the merit of a literary work.

( 2 ) High Feeling or capacity for Strong Emotion or Passion -

The second natural source of sublimity told by Longinus is " high feeling " or ' capacity for strong emotion ' or ' passion '. High feelings come through vehement passions. Actually, if the sublime is like a chariot, high thinking and high feeling are its two mighty wheels without these wheels the chariot of the sublime cannot move even an inch.

To be more accurate we can say that if sublime is like a ship. Thinking and high feeling are like its two expert navigators. Without their help and guidance, the ship of the Sublime will be lost. High feeling corries through impetuous passion.

Nothing is so conducive to sublime as an appropriate display of genuine passion. By high thinking, we mean imaginative power. Both of them are very necessary to make a thing sublime. Without. these two fundamental sources, there can be no real sublime.

( 3 ) Noble Diction -

The third source of sublimity, according to Longinus, is ' noble diction ' . ' Noble Diction includes " choice and arrangement of words, as well as the use of metaphor and simile. " Both ordinary and striking words must be suitably chosen as both are necessary for the formation of an impressive style.

Longinus declares that what gives to literature its enduring charm is the verbal magic which " invests dead thing with a sort of living voice. " Longinus says " Beautiful words are in truth the very light ( or illumination ) of thought. " Longinus believed that it is through high thinking and high feeling that noble diction can be possible.

Many Instances prove that an artist could not have noble diction because he laked nobility if ideas and nobility of feelings. So, noble diction is largely the product of high thinking and high ideas. Actually, the choice of words is a powerful factor in expression. Longinus is of the view that words should not be so low as to become vulgar and unruly. If due care is 38 / M. A. ( Final ) - 2016 not taken the sublime will be converted into finished elevation is not possible without the proper use of metaphors.

According to Longinus, metaphors are necessary to give elevation to style metaphor is the queen of the figures of speech. Metaphor and passion help each other. The relation between the two is natural and fundamental. Longinus also speaks about the use of hyperbole, According to him, hyperbole also should arise from emotion. However, hyperbole must not be overdone.

This is because an exaggerated hyperbole results not in elevation but in pathos. Commenting on this fact . Wimsatt and Brooks says that according to Longinus only strong passion can make us swallow a far-fetched metaphor or a violent hyperbole.

( 4 ) Dignified or Harmonious Composition -

The fourth source of the sublime according to Longinus, is dignified or harmonious composition. It is the harmonious arrangement of words. By this Longinus simply means a " verbal order which is usually called rhythm " words must be harmoniously set. This is because such harmony is a natural instrument to persuasion as well as of lofty emotions. Such harmony of words appeals to the soul. It enables the reader to share in the emotions of the author. On the other hand, a broken rhythm lowers the dignity of a passage.

Longinus points out that the use of similes and comparison also helps achieve splendour of style. According to Longinus, harmonious composition is of immense use. He says: " Dignified composition is not only a source of persuasion of pleasure among men but also a wonderful instrument of lofty utterence of passion. " Longinus remarks that it is harmony which gives organic unity to art.

It is a harmonious composition which gives a definite shape of art. But this does not mean that excessive brevity should be employed. Excessive epigrammatic expression spoils the charm of style and when the beauty of the style is spoiled, then the beauty of art goes away. Broken and agitated movement of language cripples sublimity.

The triviality of expression, the use of vulgar words and idioms also spoil the charm of sublimity. Low and undignified vocabulary also distorts the actual image of the sublime. All these excellences are very much required or true sublimity can never be achieved in art. Longinus stresses the fact that through harmonious composition, persuasion and genuine pleasure are possible. Thus, ' dignified composition is a remarkable source of sublimity in literature.

( 5 ) Use of Figures of Speech -

Use of figures of speech ' is a fine source of attaining sublimity or excellence of style. Longinus considers it to be very important and that is why nearly one-third of the treatise is devoted to this source. According to Longinus, figures of speech should not be used mechanically but they must be rooted in genuine emotion.

If the figures of speech are used naturally, they impart elevation to style. In the same way. they are made more effective by an elevated style. In fact, the greatness of sublimity depends on figures of speech being employed in the right motive. The greatest achievement of art lies in its concealment. Hence, the best use of figures of speech lies in the fact that they should increase the charm and beauty of the sublime. The hidden mystery of art can easily be maintained if the figures are used properly and carefully.

Longinus says: " A figure is most effective when the fact that it is a figures is happily concealed, and it is concealed by splendour of style. " In fact, if art is to be wedded with beauty and sublimity, one has to take vitál help from the figures of speech. Longinus believed that it is through beauty and sublimity that figures can increase the enchantment of the minds of the readers. In the treatise, Longinus does not deal with all figures of speech but only with those that give distinction to style.

The figures treated of by him can be discussed as follows

( a ) Adjuration or Apostrophe

Human emotions are of varied natures and shapes. These figures of speech are used to chisel the emotions When the force of argumentation fails to produce any vital effect, it is this figure of speech which creates a vital impact upon the readers. The desired effect is produced by this figure of Adjuration or Apostrophe. Actually, it depends on the alternations of syntax.

( b ) Question - Answer in Embellished outbursts

These are generally used to give a more steady and certain imprint upon the mind of the reader. This method is employed to make it sure that the writer is trying to take the reader into his confidence. More stress and effect is on the desired aim of the method.

( c ) Asyndeton-

This consists in crippled and broken sentences. In it, the conjunction between words and clauses are removed. This figure of speech produces an effect very permanently.

( d ) Anaphora-

This consists in repetition which it signifies. Through it, more weightage than required is attached to make sublime highly superb. It is the repetition of words. By it an atmosphere of stress is created and it becomes helpful in awakening the spirit of transportation.

( e ) Hyperbata -

It is also called " inversions ' or ' deviated ' expressions '. When our ideas get a departure from the original ones and when there is a vehement display of emotions, hyperbata or inversions are employed.

( f ) Diatyposis -

When there are vivid descriptions when Diatyposis is used. They evolve the power of persuasion and spiritual strength. Their importance lies in the fact that they give an all-preserve aspect to the sublime.

( g ) Polypota -

Such figures are based on the changes of cases, tense, numbers, genders etc. For public oratory and for public fame, they serve most especially. For making style really elevated and enriched with many illustrations, such figures of speech are of absolute significance. Actually, they give varied shapes to expression by giving a tinge of morality. A pleasant atmosphere is present when this figure is dominant.

( h ) Periphrasis -

This figure of speech contributes richly to the enchantment of beauty of expression. One's personal approach to beauty depends on such figures of speech. They add to beauty, vigour and elevation to style. The use of such figures requires greater command and skill. If proper care is not taken, they will mar the beauty by degenerating art into a trivial and burdensome oration.

The sum up, Longinus has spoken about the five sources of sublimity in literature. In fact, the sources are the main substance of the treatise. The sources help us to get an idea of excellent work. Both the writers and the critics are given a valuable piece of information here. Let us conclude with the words of Longinus himself " Great literature springs from great and loft souls and not from those with whom the world is too much.

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