Euphuism is a beautiful literary style that was popular for a short time during the Elizabethan era. The euphuism style used alliteration, antithesis, balance, and simile, along with references to nature and mythological stories. It was especially popular in the 1580s at the Elizabethan court. Euphuism began with the Spanish writer Antonio de Guevara, whose elaborate writing style became widely admired in Europe. His book, The Clock of the Princes, was translated into English in 1557 by Thomas North and became most popular during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Euphues(1580)

The word "Euphues" (εὐφυής) means "graceful" or "witty" in Greek. John Lyly wrote two books titled Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit (1578) and Euphues and his England (1580). These works showed the popular ideas and styles of Renaissance society, written in a very elaborate and stylized way. The stories in the books are not the main focus; instead, they serve as a background for conversations, discussions, and letters that mostly talk about love. Similar features appeared earlier in works like George Pettie’s A Petite Pallace of Pettie his pleasure (1576), in religious writings, and in Latin texts. Lyly improved the special writing techniques that defined this style.

Principles

The euphuistic style used balance and antithesis to an extreme degree, often employing antithesis even when it did not create clear meaning. John Lyly established three basic structural rules for this writing style.

Examples

"Virtue is what makes a person a true gentleman. It makes the poor rich, the lowly noble, the servant a ruler, the unattractive beautiful, the sick healthy, the weak strong, and the most unhappy the most joyful. Two main gifts are unique to humans: knowledge and reason. Knowledge leads, and reason follows. These qualities cannot be changed by the turning wheel of fortune, nor separated by the tricks of worldly people, nor weakened by illness, nor destroyed by old age." (Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit)

"Is it not better to avoid sins by remembering others' mistakes than by regretting your own errors?" (Euphues, 1, lecture by the wise Neapolitan)

"Can any treasure in this brief journey through life be more valuable than a friend? A friend is someone in whom you can rest safely without fear, with whom you can share all your secrets without suspicion of dishonesty, and who will share your hardships without doubt. A true friend will see your pain as their own, your misfortune as their own, and even a small injury to you as a deep wound to themselves." (Euphues)

"How foolish are lovers who are drawn only by a person's attractive appearance? Beauty fades quickly under the summer sun and is damaged by winter's cold. It disappears before anyone can notice it growing." (Euphues' after-dinner speech to the 'coy' Neapolitan ladies on whether the qualities of the mind or the composition of the man are more worthy).

"Time has separated me from my mother's care, and age has freed me from my father's guidance." (Lucilla, considering her father's reaction in abandoning her fiancé Philanthus for Euphues).

"A severe pain has a quick cure." (Euphues)

"Women are hard to win without showing great trust, and just as hard to lose without a strong reason for changing your mind." (Euphues to Lucilla on the quality of 'fervency' in women).

"But alas, Euphues, how can a traveler be trusted? How can a stranger be relied upon? Their words and actions are always uncertain, their feet are always moving, and their promises made on land are broken when they sail away." (Lucilla to Euphues).

Legacy

Many critics did not like Lyly's style, which they considered overly complex. Philip Sidney and Gabriel Harvey criticized his writing, as did Aldous Huxley in his book On the Margin: Notes and Essays, where he wrote, "If you remove Lyly's knowledge and his love of contrasting phrases, all that remains is Mrs. Ros."

Despite this, Lyly's writing style influenced Shakespeare. Shakespeare mocked it in speeches by characters like Polonius and Osric in Hamlet, and in the overly elaborate language of courtly lovers in Love's Labour's Lost. Characters such as Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, and Richard and Lady Anne in Richard III, also used similar styles. Elizabethan writers like Robert Greene, Thomas Lodge, and Barnabe Rich adopted Lyly's approach. Later, Walter Scott mocked it in his character Sir Piercie Shafton in The Monastery, while Charles Kingsley defended Lyly's work in Westward Ho!.

Contemporary equivalents in other languages

Euphuism was not only found in Britain, nor was it linked to any specific social aspects or artistic opportunities unique to that country. Similar movements existed in other major European languages, each with its own name: culteranismo in Spain, Marinismo in Italy, and préciosité in France, for example.