Longinus

1
Longinus

• And the power of the sublime
• He was concerned with the emotive power of
  language
• combined with great ideas
• Which is the measure of the degree of emotional
  impact a literature has on its readers
• His work is considered to be an extension of
  Gorgias theories of rhetoric

2
Longinus

• He was linked to Gorgias interest in the sheer
  power of language
• Language was a form of power

3
Longinus 5 sources of great writing

• First, vigor of mental conception- a great idea
  about which to write
• Second, strong, inspired emotion
• Third, the adequate fashioning of speech and
  thought
• Fourth, nobility of diction, including the
  appropriate choice of words and the use of
  artistic language
• Fifth, dignified and distinguished word
  arrangement

4

• Longinus felt a great idea to write about was
  more important than great technical writing
• Creative genius is more interesting than
  technical perfection