''Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit'' , a didactic romance written by

John Lyly John Lyly (; c. 1553 or 1554 – November 1606; also spelled ''Lilly'', ''Lylie'', ''Lylly'') was an English writer, dramatist of the University Wits, courtier, and parliamentarian. He was best known during his lifetime for his two books '' E ...

, was entered in the Stationers' Register 2 December 1578 and published that same year. It was followed by ''Euphues and his England'', registered on 25 July 1579, but not published until Spring of 1580. The name ''Euphues'' is derived from Greek ευφυής (''euphuēs'') meaning "graceful, witty." Lyly adopted the name from

Roger Ascham Roger Ascham (; c. 151530 December 1568)"Ascham, Roger" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 617. was an English scholar and didactic writer, famous for his prose style, h ...

's '' The Scholemaster'', which describes Euphues as a type of student who is "apte by goodnes of witte, and appliable by readines of will, to learning, hauving all other qualities of the mind and partes of the bodie, that must an other day serue learning, not trobled, mangled, and halfed, but sounde, whole, full & hable to do their office" (194). Lyly's mannered style is characterized by parallel arrangements and periphrases. The style of these novels gave rise to the term ''

euphuism Euphuism is a peculiar mannered style of English prose. It takes its name from a prose romance by John Lyly. It consists of a preciously ornate and sophisticated style, employing a deliberate excess of literary devices such as antitheses, allitera ...

''.

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, Dum ...

made reference to the character in his essay of social criticism, "Signs of the Times" (1829).

Notes

External links

''The anatomy of wit'' and ''Euphues and his England'' (Edward Arber, 1868)
on Archive.org.

1578 books English novels 1570s novels Literary characters introduced in the 1570s {{16thC-novel-stub