380. DSC 202: Unit 2- Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit (2)

John Lyly (born 1554?, Kent, Eng.—died November 1606, London) was an author considered to be the first English prose stylist to leave an enduring impression upon the language. As a playwright, he also contributed to the development of prose dialogue in English comedy.

Lyly was one of the University Wits (group of dramatists who graduated from the Cambridge or the Oxford) who

was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, and went to London about 1576. There he gained fame with the publication of two prose romances, Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit (1578), a didactic romance, fashionable prose comedy and Euphues and His England (1580), which together made him the most fashionable English writer of the 1580s. 

The character of Euphues through his popularized a highly stylized prose style known as euphuism, characterized by elaborate rhetoric, similes,  antithesis, puns, elaborate natural-history similes, classical allusions, series of parallel clauses, balanced sentence structure and moral maxims. It became a major literary “invention” in Elizabethan times in English prose fiction which set the art of story telling in vernacular prose. It subsequently also became a popular way of speaking at the Court. The name "Euphues" itself is Greek for "graceful, witty," a term Lyly borrowed from Roger Ascham's The Schoolmaster.  Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit which describes Euphues as a type of student who is apt by goodness of wit, and has the readiness of will for learning. The style of these novels gave rise to the term euphuism. The proverb "All is fair in love and war" has been attributed to Lyly's Euphues. 

(1578): This first part of the story follows a witty, learned Athenian named Euphues who travels to Naples, where he befriends a man named Philautus and becomes romantically involved with Philautus's fiancée, Lucilla the daughter of a prominent official named Don Ferarado and she is a fickle mistress. Plilautus friend is jilted. This love triangle complicates their relationships, leading to betrayal and heartbreak. He too gets jilted when she falls for Curio. Her father dies, heartbroken over her fickleness, leaving her and Curio his large estate to squander. Curio is Lucilla’s third man, and he is not known for his wealth, class, or wit.
The series of incidents that move the plot forward offer ample opportunities to discourse on topics of interest to courtiers and moralize.
This love triangle complicates their relationships, leading to betrayal. He eventually returns to Athens after being heartbroken and here he seeks to impart wisdom through treatises on education and the moral upbringing of children. He is eventually reconciled to Philatus. Euphues writes a series of letters on a variety of topics, thus adding an epistolary element to this romance plot. These letters actually seem to have been the greater appeal the novel held, for in them we find the witty and breezy discussion of commonplace or "advice to son" topics that would anchor Elizabethan courtly writing
The story conveys a cautionary tale about the consequences of fickleness in love and the importance of moral integrity. Euphues grapples with the conflict between friendship and romantic desire, ultimately resulting in a series of letters reflecting on the folly of love and the value of virtuous living. Over and above all this, the work contains the hero’s private papers, his essays and letters; and opportunities are seized for inveighing against dress, and for discoursing upon such diverse subjects as marriage and travel, education and atheism.
The sequel is set in England with the friendship reconciled. Philautus experiences love traumas as Euphues philosophizes. 
Euphues, is introduced as a young man who possesses both beauty and intelligence. He is described as a scholar who has traveled extensively and acquired knowledge from various cultures. Euphues is portrayed as a paragon of virtue and wisdom, and his name becomes synonymous with the speech and writing "euphuism." The language usage is ornate, filled with references to classical learning and overuse of literary devices such as antithesis, alliterations, repetitions, and rhetorical questions. The prose also provides lively court entertainment. 
The introduction introduces the theme of love and courtship, which is a central focus of the novel. Euphues shares his experiences and insights on love, emphasizing the importance of sincerity, loyalty, and self-control in relationships.
Overall, the introduction of "Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit" sets the stage for the novel's exploration of love, wit, and moral lessons. 
 The euphuistic style: 
The novel is not known for its plot but for its distinct style, which uses ornate language, balanced prose, and allusions. It includes long essays on topics like love and education and is written in letters.
It was followed by Euphues and his England, registered on 25 July 1579, but not published until Spring of 1580.
Euphues and his England 
(1580): The sequel continues the story, with Euphues and Philautus traveling to England. The second book includes a complimentary portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I and the English court, solidifying the work's fashionable status.






2) The Story


Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit by John Lyly
First published: 1578


Type of work: Novel


Type of plot: Didactic


Time of plot: Sixteenth century


Locale: Naples and Athens


Principal characters
Euphues, a young gentleman of Athens
Philautus, a nobleman of Naples and his friend
Don Ferardo, a governor of Naples
Lucilla, his daughter and Philautus’s fiancé
Livia, her friend
Eubulus, an old gentleman of Naples
The Story: Euphues, a young gentleman of Athens, is graced by nature with great personal beauty and by fortune with a large patrimony, but he uses his brilliant wit to enjoy the pleasures of wickedness rather than the honors of virtue. In his search for new experiences, the young man goes to Naples, a city famed for loose living. There he finds many people eager to encourage a waste of time and talent, but he is cautious, trusting no one and taking none for a friend. Thus, he escapes real harm from the company of idle youths with whom he associates.
One day, Eubulus, an elderly gentleman of Naples, approaches Euphues and admonishes the young man for his easy ways, warning him of the evil results that are sure to follow and urging him to be merry with modesty and reserve. In a witty reply, Euphues rebuffs the old man’s counsel and tells him that his pious urgings only result from his withered old age. In spite of the sage warning, Euphues remains in Naples, and after two months there he meets a pleasing young man named Philautus, whom he determines to make his only and eternal friend. Impressed by the charm of Euphues, Philautus readily agrees to be his firm friend forever. Their friendship grows, and the two young men soon become inseparable.
Philautus long before earned the affection and trust of Don Ferardo, a prominent official of Naples, and he fell in love with his beautiful daughter Lucilla. While Don Ferardo is on a trip to Naples, Philautus takes his friend with him to visit Lucilla and a group of her friends. After dinner, Euphues is given the task of entertaining the company with an extemporaneous discourse on love. He declares that one should love another for his mind, not for his appearance. When the conversation turns to a discussion of constancy, Lucilla asserts that her sex is wholly fickle. Euphues begins to dispute her, but, suddenly struck by Lucilla’s beauty and confused by his feelings, he breaks off his speech and quickly leaves.
Lucilla discovers that she is attracted to the young Athenian. After weighing the respective claims of Euphues and Philautus on her affections, she convinces herself that it will not be wrong to abandon Philautus for Euphues; however, she decides to pretend to each that he is her only love. Euphues, meanwhile, persuades himself that Lucilla must be his in spite of Philautus: Friendship must give way before love. In order to deceive his friend, Euphues pretends to be in love with Livia, Lucilla’s friend. Philautus is overjoyed and promises to help him win Livia.
The two young men go immediately to the house of Don Ferardo. While Philautus is attending the governor, who finally completes arrangements for his daughter’s marriage to the young man, Euphues and Lucilla engage in a subtle debate about love and finally declare their passion for each other. When Don Ferardo tells his daughter of his plans for her marriage to Philautus, she tells him of her love for Euphues.
Philautus, betrayed at once by his friend and by his beloved, blames first one and then the other. He writes a scathing letter to Euphues, saying that they are friends no longer and that he hopes Euphues will soon be in his own unhappy situation; he warns that Lucilla, proving untrue, might be faithless again. Euphues replies in a taunting letter that deception in love is natural. He expresses confidence that Lucilla will be faithful to him forever.
After what happened, however, it is impossible for Euphues to visit Lucilla while her father is at home. During her lover’s absence, she falls in love again, this time with Curio, a gentleman who possesses neither wealth nor wit. When Euphues at last goes to apologize for being away so long, Lucilla replies curtly that she hoped his absence would have been longer. Admitting that her new lover is inferior to both Philautus and Euphues, she supposes God is punishing her for her fickleness. Although she realizes that her life is likely to be unhappy, a fate she earned, she does not hesitate to scorn Euphues. Don Ferardo argues that it is her filial duty to give up the worthless Curio. When she refuses, her father dies of grief shortly thereafter.
Having renewed his friendship with Philautus before departing from Naples, Euphues leaves with his friend a written discourse against the folly of love. It states that love, although it starts with pleasure, ends in destruction and grief, and he urges his friend to forget passion and to turn his attention toward more serious pursuits.
After returning to Athens where he engages in long hours of study, Euphues writes a treatise on the proper way to rear a child. His own upbringing did not steer him away from the shoals of sloth and wickedness. With this weakness of upbringing in mind, he urges that a young man should be legitimately born and reared under the influence of three major forces: nature, reason, and use. In this manner, the young man will be educated in the ways of virtue as well as in the customs of use. Euphues writes many other letters and treatises: In one, he urges the gentlemen scholars of Athens to study with the laws of God in mind; in another, he debates with an atheist and converts him to godliness; a letter to Philautus encourages him to abandon his dissolute life in Naples; in a letter to Eubulus, Euphues thanks the old man for his good advice and tells him of his return to righteousness; another letter to Philautus expresses regret at the death of Lucilla and at the irreligious character of her life; two letters to a pair of young men tell them to accept their destiny and to live virtuously; in response to a letter in which Livia tells of her intention to be virtuous, Euphues praises her and tells her of Philautus’s possible visit to Athens.