Longinus, << lon JY nuhs, >> is the name given to the unknown author of On the Sublime, an ancient Greek treatise (long essay) on literary criticism. Many scholars rank it second in importance only to Aristotle’s Poetics among ancient writings on literature. On the Sublime was probably written during the first 100 years after the birth of Jesus Christ.
The treatise identifies five sources of sublimity in literature. The author used sublimity as another term for grandeur. The sources of sublimity are (1) the ability to conceive great thoughts, (2) intense emotion, (3) powerful figures of speech, (4) the choice of noble words, and (5) harmonious composition of sentences. On the Sublime compares the literary styles of the Greek orator Demosthenes and the Roman orator Cicero. Its own style is highly sophisticated.
