Longinus

 

INTRODUCTION

Longinus, the author of the treatise ‘On The Sublime’ is known as THE FIRST ROMANTIC CRITIC. This is because in his masterpiece, he talks about aesthetic transport and probes the question of sublimity in art. He says that the true aim of literature is to move the reader and to lift them to an emotional transport. He thus, opens new areas for the interpretation of literature.

BACKGROUND

The two chief aims of the poets before Longinus, and even in his times was to instruct and delight.  Their chief goal was to make man wiser and better. But Longinus knew that this alone would not make a great work of art like ILIAD or ODYSSEY. He knew that the epics of Homer, the lyrics of Sappho and Pinder and tragedies of Aeschylus and Sophocles were great because of their sublimity. That is their ability to take the readers on an AESTHETIC TRANSPORT, made them great as he himself asserts,

“For a work of genius does not aim at persuasion but ecstasy or lifting the reader out of himself.”

WHAT IS SUBLIME?

According to Longinus Sublime means eminence of expression which pleases, excites and transports the reader out of themselves to a divine land.  He believed that a great work of art is one which pleases all and pleases every time. Such a work lifts the reader to an exalted world which is formerly unknown to him. According to Longinus,

“Sublimity, flashing forth at the right moment, scatters everything before it like a thunderbolt and at once displays the power of an orator, in all its plentitude.”

HINDRANCES OF SUBLIMITY

•      Turgidity

•      Puerility

•      Cheap display of Passions

Turgidity

According to Longinus, turgidity is unpardonable in tragedy. It means timidity of bombast of language, which is as great an evil as swelling in the body. Certain writers help writing about a passion or a particular emotion in a bombastic language, without having strength and sense in reality.

Puerility

The second vice of the sublime is puerility. This means the use of language is not able to produce the desired effect and creates disinterestedness in the audience.

Cheap Display of Passions

The third vice is the cheap display of passion. That is when the emotions are more than the demand of the audience then they tend to be.

SOURCES OF SUBLIMITY

• GRANDEUR OF THOUGHT
• CAPACITY FOR STRONG EMOTION
• APPROPRIATE USE OF THE FIGURES OF SPEECH.
• NOBILITY OF DICTION

·         DIGNITY OF COMPOSITION

 

NATURAL SOURCES OF SUBLIMITY

•      GRANDEUR OF THOUGHT

•      CAPACITY FOR STRONG EMOTION

GRANDEUR OF THOUGHT

Of all sources of sublimity Longinus places the natural sources that is, the grandeur of thought and capacity for strong emotions at the top.  Commenting on the first source of sublimity, Longinus says that desire for the noble or sublime thought is inborn or natural. But then these thoughts can  not be produced by a person who is mean or servile. Nobility of mind is necessary for producing great literature, Longinus says,

“Their words are full of sublimity whose thoughts are full of majesty.”

Moreover, he also says that one has to study the works of other great writers. Thus, a true artist is noble in thought, well read, sincere to himself and sincere to his ideas.

 

 

CAPACITY FOR STRONG EMOTIONS

The second source of sublimity is the capacity for strong emotions. Longinus believes that only an artist who is intoxicated by passions and imagination can transfer the same passion in his readers. This way he can arouse in them an emotional transport.

TECHNICAL SOURCES OF SUBLIMITY

•      APPROPRIATE USE OF THE FIGURES OF SPEECH.

•      NOBILITY OF DICTION

•      DIGNITY OF COMPOSITION

APPROPRIATE USE OF THE FIGURES OF SPEECH

Longinus knew that the technical sources of sublimity are not mere ornaments. They appeal to our passions and provide us a pleasant surprise. Therefore Longinus calls the appropriate use of the figures of speech as the third source of sublimity. He believes that figures of speech adds grandeur to the work. They should however be used with definite purpose and not artificially imposed. Proper use of the figures of speech appeals to our passions. He says that,

“Art is perfect, when it seems to be nature.”

NOBILITY OF DICTION

Longinus calls correct diction the forth source of sublimity. He believes that suitable words have a moving effect upon the readers and this leads to sublimity. The diction should change as situation and characters change. With proper diction a reader experiences in idea emotionally. He says that the proper use of metaphor contributes a great deal of leading the audience to sublimity.

DIGNITY OF COMPOSITION

Finally Longinus comes to the fifth and final source of sublimity. This is the combination of all the previous sources. It emphasizes on the dignity of composition, that is proper arrangement of words. It combines thought, emotion, figures and words into an organic whole. Such a combination can please, instruct, persuade and also set the reader’s heart on to an emotional transport.

CONCLUSION

Thus, in this way Longinus gives a new direction to Western literary criticism. He makes a happy compromise between the romantic and classical approach. He concludes that the ultimate function of a work of art is to be sublime. Great literature opens new frontiers, new dimensions to the reader and transports them to a divine land.