On the Sublime

After discussing faults in writing, Longinus describes its positive attributes: We should not overestimate prose that is showy and grand but “overlaid with many carelessly fashioned ornaments” (9), because a sign of “truly great” writing is that it impresses itself on our minds and stays in our memories. When a range of diverse people hold a strong consensus that a piece of writing is great, that too is a sign of its high quality.

There are five sources of great writing:

1. Vigorous mental conception;
2. Strong and inspired emotion;
3. The apt use of figures of speech and thought;
4. Nobility of diction (e.g., word choice and use of figurative language);
5. Dignified and distinguished word arrangement.

These qualities rely on a guiding moral quality, which is the source and precondition of greatness in writing. After a lacuna in the text, Longinus discusses the moral nobility and high-mindedness of Homer’s writing, observing that Homer’s stories explore morality by giving human a godlike stature and imbuing the gods with human emotion as well as with divine power.

Longinus goes on to compare Homer’s two works, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and states his belief that the former was written earlier in the poet’s life while the latter was a product of his old age.