Übersicht			Auf mobile öffnen

Lieferstatus:	i.d.R. innert 7-14 Tagen versandfertig
Veröffentlichung:	März 2007
Genre:	Sprache
ISBN:	9781406773248
EAN-Code:	9781406773248
Verlag:	Negley Press
Einband:	Kartoniert
Sprache:	English
Dimensionen:	H 216 mm / B 140 mm / D 22 mm
Gewicht:	535 gr
Seiten:	380
Zus. Info:	Paperback
Bewertung:	Titel bewerten / Meinung schreiben

Inhalt:

THESAURUS OF EPIGRAMS INTRODUCTION What is an epigram What sets it apart f romtfe - quip, the quiddity, the bon mot, the jeu desprit, the retort, the reply courteous, the anecdote, the wisecrack, or the gag Wits or sages, if indeed they be not the same, of all ages have ventured to identify and isolate the epigram. It is Oscar Levant who has definitively scored it for our time with a fine sensitivity to the fact that stuffing is out of place in a humorists shirt. By Oscar, An epigram is a gag thats played Carnegie Hall. It is Bob Hope at Harvard it is Sinatra singing with the Philharmonic. It is the irreverent leaven of earthy humor, however polished, that keeps the arteries of intellect from hardening. Let the epigrammatists speak for themselves. An anony mous Latin distich requires that Three things must epigrams, like bees, have all, A sting, and honey, and a body small. Samuel Taylor Coleridge bears witness What is an epigram a dwarfish whole, Its body brevity, and wit its soul. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as I an Epigraph or An inscription esp. one placed upon a building, tomb, statue, etc., to indicate its name or purpose a legend on a coin 2 A short poem leading up to and ending in a witty or ingenious turn of thought. 3 A pointed or antithetical saying. To attempt to assemble a broad collection of epigrams, one must first make up his mind that epigrams are where you find them and what you want them to be. They overlap with many other classifications of the gnomic, or aphoristic, wisdom of the race and no bones about it. They should be brief, but how short is brief They should be witty, but where does wit begin and end They should be paradoxical, but one mans paradox isanother mans faith. They should be true, but as Pontius Pilate asked . . . 2 1944 gj M v . r JL . X.. L f i . jj, J yi INTRODUCTION i 4 f J54 Sf epj gri ttdjso va ue an d disputatious a form of flfogfat, Mfgoodja e they At once everyone with a defini tion Wsll lf p Jtai p fticular view and rush forward to unite, ifl pr Tifi g ttfe aTu e s that make the epigram one of the most ancient w4 one of the most modern capsules for ideas. He misses what is meant by epigram Who thinks it only frivolous flim-flam. So says Martial, perhaps the greatest epigrammatist of them all. An epigram often flashes light into regions where reason shines but dimly. So says the American essayist, E. P. Whipple. Hendrik Willem Van Loon assures us that Some where in the world there is an epigram for every dilemma. But when you are searching for it, cautions C. W. Thompson, remember that, u No epigram contains the whole truth. In fact, many of the best epigrams arent true, This book attempts to present a sampling of the epigram from Martial to Mizner, from Heraclitus to Hope. It con tains the greater part of the rich body of Greek and Roman epigrams, excluding only such as were of too narrowly local interest and a substantial number that are unprintable. Here it might as well be noted that the risque or the downright bawdy are elements which have been and remain of the essence of the best in epigrammatic tradition. The form is inevitably inclined toward irreverence, deflation, and cynicism. Those unfamiliar with them are urged to pay special atten tion to the Greek and Roman epigrams. Some are so short and sharp as tcf hit home at once. Many, however, require one to get the hang of them. In general, the classicistsare an ac quired taste but they are easier to take than olives and better when you get to like them. Try it. You will find them, among other things, past masters of the gentle arts of insult and abuse. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO USE THIS BOOK You will use it, with its wide breakdown and its extensive cross-reference, to su u p n e d r e c r har s g u e bje y c o t ur he c a o d n i v n e g r s sation, your speeches, or your writings at the right time...