''Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit'' , a

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasises instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain. ...

romance written by

John Lyly John Lyly (; also spelled ''Lilly'', ''Lylie'', ''Lylly''; born c. 1553/54 – buried 30 November 1606)Hunter, G. K. (2004)"Lyly, John (1554–1606)". ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 23 January 2 ...

, was entered in the

Stationers' Register The Stationers' Register was a record book maintained by the Stationers' Company of London. This was a trade guild given a royal charter in 1557 to regulate the various professions associated with England's publishing industry, including prin ...

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 (; 30 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, his pr ...

's '' The Scholemaster'', which describes Euphues as a type of student who is "apte by goodness of witte, and appliable by readiness of will, to learning, hauving all other qualities of the mind and parts of the body, that must an other day serue learning, not troubled, mangled, and halfed, but sound, whole, full & able 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 an elegant literary style that was briefly in fashion during the Elizabethan era. The euphuism style employed the frequent use of alliteration, antithesis, balance, and simile, with references to nature and mythological tales. Euph ...

''. The proverb "All is fair in love and war" has been attributed to Lyly's ''Euphues''.

Literary references

There have been literary references to Euphues as follows: *

Thomas Lodge Thomas Lodge (September 1625) was an English writer and medical practitioner whose life spanned the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Biography Early life Thomas Lodge was born about 1557 in West Ham, the second son of Sir Thomas Lodge ...

Jr made reference to the name in ''Rosalynde: Euphues Golden Legacy, Found After His Death In His Cell At Silexedra'' which is the source book for William Shakespeare's play ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' * Robert Greene made reference to the name in ''Menaphon : Camillas alarum to slumbering Euphues, in his melancholie cell at Silexedra'' (1589) *

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

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

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...

made reference to the name in ''The Voyage Out'' (1915) as "The germ of the English Novel".

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