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Epigram

An epigram is a short, pithy, and often witty or satirical statement or poem expressing a single thought or observation, typically with a clever twist or paradox. The term originates from the Greek word epígramma (ἐπίγραμμα), meaning "inscription", initially referring to brief writings on monuments, tombs, or religious offerings.^[1]^[2] Developed over two millennia, epigrams began as ancient Greek and Roman inscriptions and evolved into a literary form emphasizing conciseness and ingenuity, influencing poets from Callimachus and Martial to Renaissance writers like Ben Jonson and modern figures such as Oscar Wilde. This article explores the definition, historical evolution, forms, and cultural significance of epigrams.^[3]

Definition and Etymology

Origins of the Term

The term "epigram" derives from the ancient Greek word epígramma, signifying "inscription," which is composed of the preposition epí ("upon" or "on") and grámma ("writing," "letter," or "that which is drawn or written").^[2] This etymological root reflects its initial function as a form of engraved text rather than a poetic genre.^[1] In ancient Greece, the term first appeared around the 6th century BCE to describe brief inscriptions placed on monuments, tombs, votive offerings, and other durable objects, serving practical purposes such as identification, dedication, or commemoration.^[4] These early epigrams were typically concise and functional, often limited to a few lines due to the physical constraints of the medium. By the 5th century BCE, the concept began transitioning from purely literal inscriptions to a more literary form, with the earliest known collections attributed to the poet Simonides of Ceos, whose works marked a shift toward composed verses intended for broader dissemination and appreciation.^[5] During the Hellenistic period (circa 323–31 BCE), the Greek epígramma influenced the Latin language, where it was adopted as epigramma to encompass not only inscriptions but also short, pointed literary compositions characterized by brevity and wit. This adaptation solidified the term's evolution into a descriptor for versatile, concise writings that could convey moral, satirical, or epigrammatic insights, paving the way for its enduring use in Western literature.^[6]

Core Characteristics

Epigrams are distinguished by their extreme conciseness, generally limited to two to four lines in poetic versions or a single sentence in prose, a brevity that amplifies their rhetorical force and memorable impact. This hallmark of brevitas, paired with argutia or witty sharpness, ensures that the form avoids superfluous elaboration, focusing instead on distilled expression.^[7] Central to the epigram is its culmination in a pointed "turn" or epigrammatic close, featuring a surprising twist, paradox, or satirical punchline that delivers intellectual or humorous revelation. This structure emphasizes wit as the driving mechanism, often manifesting through concise sarcasm or irony to provoke reflection or amusement. Individual human behavior frequently serves as the focal subject, rendered with incisive commentary.^[7] Thematically, epigrams commonly address moral or ethical dilemmas, amatory desires, dedicatory inscriptions, or epideictic aims of praise and blame, leveraging antithesis and irony to underscore contrasts between appearance and reality or virtue and vice. These motifs allow the form to critique societal norms or celebrate personal sentiments within tight constraints.^[8]^[9]^[10] In terms of metrical versatility, epigrams may employ elegiac couplets, iambic rhythms, or other structures, but their essence lies in prioritizing cleverness and epigrammatic bite over extended narrative or emotional depth. This adaptability underscores the genre's evolution from inscriptional origins to a literary vehicle for pointed observation. Epigrams differ from aphorisms, which convey general truths in unstructured prose without rhyme or metrical form, by maintaining a more poetic architecture and deliberate witty resolution.^[11]^[12]^[13]

Historical Evolution

Ancient Greek Epigrams

The epigram emerged in ancient Greece during the Archaic period, particularly from the sixth century BCE, as short verse inscriptions primarily serving funerary and dedicatory purposes. These early examples were typically carved on tombstones, statues, or monuments to commemorate the deceased or honor offerings to the gods, reflecting a practical fusion of poetry and public commemoration. In Sparta, such inscriptions often appeared on war memorials, emphasizing brevity and heroism; for instance, epigrams on monuments for fallen warriors highlighted communal valor and restraint, aligning with Dorian cultural values of laconic expression. This inscriptional form marked the genre's origins, evolving from simpler dedications in the eighth century BCE to more structured poetic compositions by the sixth century.^[14] A pivotal figure in the early literary development of the epigram was Simonides of Ceos (c. 556–468 BCE), renowned for his elegiac epigrams that elevated inscriptional verse into refined poetry suitable for both monuments and symposia. Simonides composed epigrams in the elegiac meter—a dactylic hexameter followed by a pentameter—often praising heroes or lamenting the dead with poignant brevity, as seen in his attributed works on drowned sailors or battle casualties preserved in later collections. His contributions bridged the Archaic inscriptional tradition with broader elegiac poetry, influencing the genre's shift toward emotional depth and moral reflection. Themes in these early epigrams centered on praise of heroic deeds, laments for the departed, and occasional dedications, all underscoring the epigram's role as a public memorial that immortalized personal and collective memory.^[15]^[16] By the Hellenistic era, particularly under the influence of Callimachus (c. 310–240 BCE) in the third century BCE, the epigram evolved from its Ionian roots of ornate, intellectual refinement—evident in earlier coastal Greek styles—toward more personal and witty expressions, incorporating Dorian simplicity in some cases while expanding thematic range. Callimachus, as a scholar-poet at Alexandria, authored concise epigrams blending erudition with playfulness, often on erotic subjects, which were later compiled in anthologies and helped standardize the form for literary circulation. This period saw a proliferation of epigrams in elegiac couplets, with themes broadening to include subtle satire and private emotions alongside traditional funerary and dedicatory motifs. Over 1,000 such ancient Greek epigrams, originating from Archaic through Hellenistic times, survive today, primarily preserved in the Palatine Anthology, a tenth-century CE compilation by Constantine Cephalas that gathered earlier Hellenistic collections despite its later assembly. These works highlight the epigram's enduring cultural function as both inscribed artifact and performative text, fostering a legacy of concise, impactful verse.^[17]^[4]^[18]

Ancient Roman Epigrams

The Roman adoption of the epigram began in the 1st century BCE, primarily through the works of Gaius Valerius Catullus, who adapted the Greek form by blending its elegiac couplets with Roman invective poetry to create a more personal and biting style.^[19] Influenced by Hellenistic anthologies such as Meleager of Gadara's Stephanos, Catullus incorporated elements of Greek epigrammatic wit while infusing them with Roman themes of love, abuse, and social commentary, marking a shift from the dedicatory and inscriptional focus of Greek precursors.^[20] The genre reached its peak under Marcus Valerius Martialis (c. 40–104 CE), known as Martial, who authored twelve books of Epigrams published between 86 and 103 CE, with over 1,500 epigrams surviving in total.^[21] These works vividly depicted urban life in Rome, including the intricacies of patronage, everyday social interactions, and explicit obscenity, often employing satire to critique hypocrisy and excess.^[22] Several books, such as the first, were dedicated to Emperor Domitian, balancing flattery of imperial power with subtle erotic and humorous undertones to navigate the political climate.^[23] Other Roman poets contributed occasional epigrams, expanding the form's versatility. Publius Papinius Statius (c. 45–96 CE) included epigrammatic pieces in his Silvae, using them for encomiastic purposes like praising patrons and events, while Decimus Magnus Ausonius (c. 310–395 CE) composed epigrams on diverse subjects, often in a lighter, anecdotal vein.^[24] Alongside the dominant elegiac couplets, poets like Martial and Statius employed hendecasyllables for rhythmic variety, enhancing the epigram's concise, punchy delivery.^[25] Common themes encompassed social satire targeting Roman vices, imperial flattery to secure favor, and erotic explorations of desire, with Martial's collection profoundly influencing subsequent Latin literature through its raw portrayal of societal norms. Following the 2nd century CE, the Roman epigram declined as Christian influences reshaped literary priorities, favoring moralistic and theological writing over pagan satire and obscenity.^[26] Despite this shift, the works of Catullus and Martial were preserved through medieval manuscripts copied in monastic scriptoria, ensuring their transmission to later eras.^[27]

Renaissance and English Epigrams

The epigram saw a significant revival during the Renaissance in 16th-century Italy, where neo-Latin poets drew heavily on classical models like Martial to craft short, witty verses. Giovanni Pontano (1426–1503), a leading figure in the Neapolitan court, integrated epigrammatic elements into his Latin poetry, blending satire, moral observation, and classical allusion in works such as his Hendecasyllabi.^[28] Similarly, Michele Marullo Tarchaniota (c. 1453–1500), a Greek émigré scholar, published his influential Epigrammata posthumously in 1503, featuring over 150 concise poems that explored themes of love, nature, and exile with sharp, Martial-inspired brevity.^[28] These Italian neo-Latin epigrams emphasized personal reflection and courtly wit, serving as both literary exercises and social commentary within humanist circles.^[29] This continental revival spread to England through the humanist movement, as scholars and educators imported neo-Latin texts and classical anthologies, fostering a bilingual epigrammatic culture that bridged Latin traditions with vernacular innovation.^[30] The advent of the printing press in the late 15th century played a crucial role, enabling the widespread circulation of epigram collections and making them accessible for imitation in English literature. In the early 17th century, Ben Jonson (1572–1637) exemplified this influence by publishing his Epigrams in 1616 as part of his folio Workes, a collection of 133 short poems that directly emulated Martial's satirical tone while addressing English court life, friendships, and moral failings.^[31] Jonson's epigrams, such as "To the Reader," highlighted themes of personal dedication and social critique, marking a shift toward vernacular expression.^[32] John Donne (1572–1631) further adapted the form with metaphysical wit, infusing epigrams and related verses like those in his Holy Sonnets with intellectual conceits that probed spiritual and emotional depths.^[33] His epigrams, often blending irony and paradox, reflected personal introspection amid religious turmoil, as seen in pieces like "The Indifferent," which satirized fleeting affections. By the 18th century, the epigram evolved within neoclassical frameworks, with Alexander Pope (1688–1744) employing heroic couplets to deliver pointed moral and literary observations in works such as An Essay on Criticism (1711).^[34] Lines like "A little learning is a dangerous thing" exemplify Pope's use of the epigram for satirical precision and ethical instruction. Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) continued this tradition in moral epigrams scattered through his poetry, such as The Vanity of Human Wishes (1749), where concise, Juvenalian couplets underscored human folly and virtue.^[35] Throughout this period, English epigrams focused on courtly satire and personal reflection, often drawing from Roman inspirations like Martial for their structure and bite. The printing press amplified their reach, as seen in Jonson's comprehensive folio editions that professionalized the genre. However, by the late 18th century, the epigram's prominence waned as Romanticism emphasized expansive, emotive forms over concise wit, though its legacy persisted in neoclassical traditions of sharp, memorable expression.

19th and 20th Century Developments

In the Romantic period, epigrams evolved toward aphoristic and provocative forms that challenged conventional morality and embraced imaginative excess. William Blake's Proverbs of Hell, published in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell in 1790, exemplifies this shift through its series of terse, paradoxical statements that parody biblical wisdom literature while celebrating energy and rebellion against rationalist constraints.^[36] Similarly, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe incorporated an epigrammatic style in works like the Venetian Epigrams (1790), where concise, satirical verses blend eroticism, disillusionment, and sharp observations on Venetian society, marking a departure from neoclassical restraint toward personal introspection and cultural critique.^[37] The Victorian era saw epigrams flourish in prose, particularly through witty paradoxes that exposed social hypocrisies and aesthetic ideals. Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) features numerous epigrams delivered by Lord Henry Wotton, such as "I can resist everything except temptation," which underscore themes of hedonism and moral inversion while satirizing bourgeois propriety. These epigrams, often structured as reversals of dichotomies like beauty and decay, reflect Wilde's aestheticism and his use of brevity to subvert Victorian norms of earnestness and restraint.^[38] In the early 20th century, epigrams adapted to modernist influences, emphasizing humor, irony, and fragmented wit in verse forms that critiqued everyday absurdities. Ogden Nash's light verse, such as his famous couplet "Candy is dandy, / But liquor is quicker," captured humorous, epigrammatic insights into human folly and social conventions, blending colloquial language with punchy rhymes to offer accessible satire.^[39] T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939) employs brief, ironic poems that anthropomorphize feline behaviors to explore psychological and social quirks, infusing modernist fragmentation with playful brevity akin to epigrammatic tradition.^[40] Throughout these centuries, epigrams increasingly focused on social critique and existential wit, influenced by symbolism's emphasis on the ineffable and modernism's shortened, elliptical forms that mirrored fragmented realities.^[41] This evolution is preserved in anthologies like The Oxford Book of Aphorisms (1983), edited by John Gross, which compiles selections from Romantic figures like Lord Byron to 20th-century poets such as W.H. Auden, highlighting the genre's enduring role in concise intellectual provocation.

Forms and Variations

Poetic Epigrams

Poetic epigrams are distinguished by their adherence to specific metrical forms that enhance their conciseness and impact, with the elegiac couplet serving as the predominant meter in ancient Greek and Roman traditions. This structure consists of a dactylic hexameter line followed by a dactylic pentameter line, creating a rhythmic alternation that balances narrative setup with epigrammatic closure.^[42] In Latin epigrammatists like Martial, the elegiac couplet was the typical meter for short poems of two or four lines, allowing for witty observations on everyday life or satire.^[43] English adaptations often shifted to iambic forms, such as the heroic couplet in iambic pentameter popularized by Alexander Pope, where rhymed pairs deliver pointed moral or social commentary.^[44] Some of Pope's epigrams, however, employ iambic tetrameter for even greater brevity, as seen in his inscription on a dog's collar, emphasizing social hierarchy through tight, rhythmic lines.^[45] The structure of poetic epigrams typically unfolds in two parts: an initial setup that establishes a scenario or proverb-like statement, followed by a witty resolution or turn that delivers surprise or irony.^[46] This binary form, often encapsulated in couplets or quatrains, relies on rhyme schemes such as AABB for emphatic closure or ABAB for alternating tension and release, reinforcing the poem's memorable punch.^[47] In ancient examples, the resolution might pivot from earnest description to paradoxical wit, while in English verse, the rhyme ensures the twist lands with rhythmic finality.^[46] Thematic conventions in poetic epigrams include several subtypes, each tied to verse forms that suit their purpose. Amatory epigrams, focused on love or desire, often use the elegiac couplet to blend tenderness with erotic surprise, as in the thirteen such poems attributed to the Hellenistic poet Dioscorides.^[8] Sepulchral epigrams, inscribed on tombs, employ concise meters to commemorate the dead with reflective wit, exemplified by Dioscorides' twenty examples that mourn through ironic brevity.^[8] Dedicatory epigrams, honoring offerings or patrons, favor hexameter or iambic lines for formal praise with a subtle twist, as in the three by Dioscorides that elevate simple dedications.^[8] A notable cross-cultural example is the Rubáiyát quatrains attributed to the 11th-century Persian poet Omar Khayyám, whose epigrammatic style—translated into English by Edward FitzGerald in 1859—uses AABA rhyme schemes to distill philosophical insights on transience and pleasure into standalone, witty reflections.^[48] Over time, poetic epigrams evolved from rigid meters to freer forms in modernism, where brevity persisted but surprise emerged through unconventional syntax rather than rhyme. In the 20th century, E. E. Cummings adapted the epigrammatic tradition into free verse, crafting concise poems that prioritize visual and linguistic twists over metrical constraints, as in his short, ironic observations on love and mortality.^[49] This shift allowed epigrams to emphasize raw surprise through fragmentation, departing from the elaborate structures of epics or odes, which favor expansive narrative and lyrical elevation over the epigram's core traits of brevity and unexpected insight.^[50]

Prose and Satirical Epigrams

Prose epigrams represent a non-metrical form of the epigram tradition, consisting of concise sentences or short paragraphs that employ antithesis, paradox, and irony to deliver pointed observations on human nature or society, without relying on rhyme or poetic structure. Unlike longer essays, prose epigrams maintain brevity to maximize impact, often extending slightly beyond simple aphorisms while prioritizing a surprising twist or satirical edge. This form draws structural influences from ancient poetic antecedents but adapts them to fluid, unmetrical language for sharper social critique.^[39] A seminal example of prose epigrams appears in François de La Rochefoucauld's Maxims (1665), a collection of over 500 epigrammatic reflections that dissect self-interest, vanity, and morality through antithetical phrasing. One renowned maxim states, "Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue," illustrating how vice masquerades as virtue to gain social approval, a theme recurrent in the work's exploration of human pretense. La Rochefoucauld's style, honed during the French classical period, uses irony to expose underlying motivations without overt moralizing, influencing subsequent writers in the genre.^[51] Satirical prose epigrams often target hypocrisy, political power, and human folly, amplifying their critique through exaggerated paradox. Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal (1729) includes epigrammatic excerpts, such as the ironic suggestion that impoverished Irish families sell their children as food to the wealthy, underscoring British exploitation with biting absurdity: "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food." Similarly, Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary (1764) features short, satirical entries that mock religious dogma and intolerance, as in the piece on "Fanaticism," where he defines it as "a monster that dares to call itself the child of religion," employing irony to advocate tolerance. These works exemplify the form's role in 18th-century Enlightenment satire, using concise prose to provoke reform without descending into lengthy argumentation. In the 20th century, Dorothy Parker's contributions to The New Yorker revived prose epigrams with a modern satirical bent, often critiquing gender roles and social pretensions through witty, ironic quips in her reviews and short pieces. For instance, she quipped, "If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to," satirizing wealth and social values with paradoxical humor.^[52] Parker's style, published regularly from the 1920s to 1940s, extended the form's satirical potential to everyday absurdities, influencing journalistic commentary. Prose epigrams like hers have permeated essays and opinion pieces, providing punchy critiques that echo in stand-up comedy's observational routines, where brief, ironic setups deliver social insights akin to Parker's gender-focused barbs.

Epigrams in Culture and Art

In Visual Arts and Inscriptions

Epigrams have long served as inscribed texts on votive statues in ancient Greek art, particularly during the 5th century BCE, where they accompanied offerings on the Athenian Acropolis to commemorate dedications to deities like Athena. These short, often elegiac verses provided context for the statues, expressing gratitude, vows, or personal narratives, as seen in the cataloged examples from archaic and classical periods where epigrams were etched on stone or bronze bases.^[53] In Roman funerary art, epigrammatic inscriptions appeared on sarcophagi, blending poetic wit with memorialization; for instance, a 3rd-century CE marble sarcophagus in the British Museum features a Greek epigram lamenting the deceased as a cultured poet and lyre-player, exhausted by life's journey, enhancing the sculptural narrative of mortality.^[54] During the Renaissance, epigrams manifested as humanistic mottos and inscriptions in engravings and paintings, adding layers of intellectual and symbolic depth. Albrecht Dürer's 1514 engraving Melencolia I incorporates enigmatic Latin text and symbolic elements evoking themes of artistic melancholy and genius, while broader portrait epigraphs in the era, such as those accompanying Dürer's works, lent voices to sitters through concise, eulogistic verses inspired by classical models.^[55] These inscriptions often enhanced the visual symbolism, inviting viewers to ponder philosophical or moral ideas embedded in the artwork. In modern contexts, epigrams appear in street art graffiti, where witty, subversive phrases punctuate urban visuals to provoke social commentary; Banksy's stenciled works, for example, combine imagery with epigrammatic texts like ironic slogans on war or consumerism, turning city walls into dynamic critiques. Memorials also employ epigrammatic brevity through inscriptions, as in Maya Lin's 1982 Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where the stark listing of over 58,000 names on polished granite walls conveys profound loss and honor without narrative excess, the reflective surface amplifying the terse impact of the etched text. Such integrations underscore epigrams' role in amplifying narrative or emotional resonance in visual forms. Non-Western traditions parallel this with epigrammatic elements in architectural and calligraphic arts; Chinese duilian couplets, inscribed on doorways and pillars since the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE), feature antithetical, witty phrases that balance form and meaning to invoke prosperity or harmony, often in red ink for festive symbolism. Similarly, in Japanese calligraphy, haiku-inspired epigrams adorn hanging scrolls (kakemono), where concise verses by poets like Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) are rendered in brushwork alongside minimalist illustrations, merging text and image to evoke seasonal impermanence and zen-like insight. Across these examples, epigrams function to deepen symbolism, guide interpretation, and infuse static art with mnemonic or provocative power.

Modern and Contemporary Usage

In the digital era, social media platforms like Twitter (now X) have transformed epigrams into micro-epigrams, where the 280-character limit encourages concise, witty statements that echo the brevity of classical forms.^[56] This format functions as a modern epigram generator, prioritizing cleverness in minimal words to capture attention amid information overload.^[57] Authors such as Neil Gaiman exemplify this trend with 280-character witticisms that blend humor, insight, and cultural commentary, often drawing millions of engagements for their gnomic wisdom.^[58] Memes further extend this, repurposing epigrammatic phrases into visual snippets that spread viral satire on everyday absurdities. Epigrams thrive in popular culture through film quotes and music, where succinct lines deliver lasting impact. In Casablanca (1942), Humphrey Bogart's line "Here's looking at you, kid" exemplifies epigrammatic wit, compressing tenderness and farewell into a memorable, paradoxical toast that resonates across generations.^[59] Similarly, rap lyrics incorporate punchline bars as contemporary epigrams; Eminem's verses, such as those in "Lose Yourself," pack motivational aphorisms into rhythmic bursts, offering sharp social critique and personal resilience in compact, punchy delivery.^[60] Global variations highlight epigrams' adaptability in non-Western contexts. African proverbs persist in oral traditions as living epigrams, providing moral guidance and fostering social cohesion in modern settings, as seen in Chinua Achebe's novels where they counter ethical erosion from globalization and validate indigenous knowledge.^[61] In India, Sanskrit subhashitas—epigrammatic verses encapsulating ethical maxims—are revived in contemporary literature and digital formats, with collections and apps disseminating ancient wisdom to address modern dilemmas like social harmony and personal conduct.^[62] Contemporary authors build on epigrammatic traditions for postmodern critique. Karl Kraus's aphorisms, with their satirical edge against linguistic decay, extend into postmodern works, influencing figures like Elfriede Jelinek by underscoring the tension between pure expression and media corruption, where wit exposes societal contradictions without resolution.^[63] Epigrams also feature in TED Talks as closings, using clever or lyrical statements to crystallize ideas—such as a paradoxical challenge or poetic summation—that linger and prompt action, enhancing the format's persuasive power.^[64] Challenges arise from digital proliferation, where social media oversaturation dilutes epigrammatic wit by favoring superficial brevity over depth, turning potential insights into fleeting, homogenized content.^[65] Yet, epigrams see revival in eco-critique, addressing climate change through succinct warnings that amplify urgency; for instance, Jonathan Franzen invokes Kafka's line "There is infinite hope... only not for us" to epigrammatically frame the crisis's inescapable scale, urging realistic engagement over denial.^[66]

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Jun 23, 2022 · This chapter outlines the relationship between Latin and English epigram in England between the mid-sixteenth and the later seventeenth century.
[37]
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2905934
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Seventeenth-Century Readers of Jonson's 1616 Works (Chapter 4)
In just two lines Jonson's well-known epigram communicates a distinctive understanding of the kind of transaction between author and reader that publication ...
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The epigram | The Oxford Handbook of John Donne
These epigrams may seem uneven in quality and wit, rather tame examples of a reliance on the traditional figures and situations of the fabliau, especially in ...Missing: metaphysical | Show results with:metaphysical
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An Essay on Criticism | The Poetry Foundation
Oct 13, 2009 · Pope primarily used the heroic couplet, and his lines are immensely quotable; from “An Essay on Criticism” come famous phrases such as “To err ...
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Samuel Johnson | The Poetry Foundation
The moral elevation and large vision so characteristic of The Vanity of Human Wishes are one reflection of the ways that Johnson moves from Satura X as a base ...
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William Blake's "Proverbs of Hell" and the Tradition of Wisdom - jstor
"3 In fact, Blake's "Proverbs of Hell" should be categorized as wisdom literature, or rather as a critique and parody of proverbial wisdom, a biblical genre ...
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Poetic Reclamation and Goethe's Venetian Epigrams - jstor
MaaB's casual remarks on the biographical background of the epigrams show him a traditionalist on that issue, too: there is no doubt in his mind that the poems ...
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Reversal of Dichotomies in The Picture of Dorian Gray - Academia.edu
This paper discusses the dichotomy of soul and body in The Picture of Dorian Gray and posits that the novel has an epigrammatic structure.Missing: scholarly | Show results with:scholarly
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Epigram - Definition and Examples - LitCharts
Epigrams often contain an opposition or a contradiction that generate their witty "twist," as in the poet Ogden Nash's most famous epigram: "Candy / Is dandy, ...
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https://fiveable.me/ap-latin/unit-1/martial-epigrams-collection-study-guide/study-guide/433a1f3728b1d51a
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[PDF] charmed modernisms: fantasies of sociality and difference in ...
These are the stakes of inquiring into charm at the turn of the twentieth century. Charm's status as space allows us critical inquiry, an inquiry that holds.
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The Meters of Epigram - Wiley Online Library
Dec 21, 2018 · This chapter offers a survey of the meters used by epigrammatists in Greek and Latin. It traces parallel processes of “refinement” in Greek ...
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Roman author, Greek genre: Martial's use of Epigrams | OUPblog
Oct 28, 2015 · Epigram had emerged as a literary force to be reckoned with in the Hellenistic age, in the centuries after the death of Alexander the Great ...
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Line, Stanza & Form: An Introduction to Poetry
Feb 12, 2020 · Of craft, you should know a line of five iambs is, “iambic petameter”, the line of Alexander Pope and William Shakespeare, and likely, you. ...
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Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to His Royal ...
'Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog' by Alexander Pope is a tightly ... The poem is written over two lines in iambic tetrameter with an AA rhyme scheme.
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1.7 Martial Epigrams Collection Study Guide
Major themes: Social satire, greed, hypocrisy, physical appearance, literary criticism; Grammar patterns: Future more vivid conditions, vocatives for direct ...
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(PPT) Light Verse and Nonsense Verse - Academia.edu
Nonsense verse often uses invented words and varies in rhyme scheme, typically ABAB or ABCB. Prominent authors of nonsense verse include Lewis Carroll ...
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Poster poems: write a rubai | Poetry | The Guardian
Aug 15, 2008 · The word rubaiyat derives from the Arabic term for quatrains, and in their original form they are generally stand-alone epigrammatic poems.Missing: style | Show results with:style
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The Poetry of E. E. Cummings - jstor
The Poetry of E. E. Cummings 377 grant language and a kind of delicacy that is like Catullus. Later he was to make epigrams in the manner of the Latin poet,7 ...<|separator|>
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Epigram | Academy of American Poets
An epigram is a short, pithy saying, usually in verse, often with a quick, satirical twist at the end. The subject is usually a single thought or event.
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Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims by Francois Duc De La ...
Of all the French epigrammatic writers La Rochefoucauld is at once the most widely known, and the most distinguished. Voltaire, whose opinion on the century of ...Introduction (translator's) · Reflections and Moral Maxims · First Supplement
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Just a Little One | The New Yorker
Just a Little One” by Dorothy Parker was published in the print edition of the May 12, 1928, issue of The New Yorker.Missing: epigrams satirical quips
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Archaic and Classical Attic Dedicatory Epigrams: An Epigraphic ...
Jun 13, 2018 · Parts I–III contain epigrams written on stone (nos. 1–99), bronze (nos. 100–105) or earthenware objects (nos. 106–116) found on the Acropolis.
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sarcophagus | British Museum
Inscription translation: M. Sempronius Nicocrates. I was once a cultured man. A poet and a lyre-player, and indeed a member of a festival troupe. Exhausted from ...
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“Lend a Voice”: The Humanistic Portrait Epigraph in the Age of ...
Nov 20, 2018 · Eulogy is the dominant note also in the epigraph for Dürer's engraving of Willibald Pirckheimer. It consists of a single pentameter: “We live ...