Until the early 1960s John Lyly's reputation as playwright and prose writer rested largely upon the influence his plays were thought to have exerted upon the work of later dramatists (notably Shakespe...
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C. S. Lewis's remark in English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, Excluding Drama (1954) about Philip Sidney's Arcadia that "What a man thinks of it ... tests the depth of his sympathy with the six...
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In the following essay, Kinney centers on the works of John Lyly and Sir Philip Sidney as he argues the importance of rhetoric to the English novelists of the Elizabethan period.
In a striking port...
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In the following excerpt, Stevenson examines Lyly's comedies in relation to the "sixteenth-century rebellion of common sense against the attenuated sentiments of romantic tradition. �...
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In the following essay, Barish comments on Lyly's employment of the techniques of euphuism in his prose romances and demonstrates their use in his plays as well.
Lyly's prose style, e...
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In the essay below, Mincoff analyzes Lyly's depiction of love and courtship in his plays and assesses their influence on the comedies of Shakespeare.
Shakespeare's debt to Lyly has ne...
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In the following excerpt, Hunter investigates the "debate-theme" of Midas, Endimion, and Gallathea.
Midas
The basic plot of Midas is taken from Lyly's favourite classical autho...
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In the following excerpt, Hunter examines the source materials and traditions Lyly utilized in Campaspe.
The historical occasion for the action of Campaspe was found by Lyly most probably in a sour...
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In the excerpt below, Bevington discusses Lyly's employment of allegory and the tradition of the comedy of courtship in Sappho and Phao, as well as his use of language in the play.
Allegory
...
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In the excerpt below, Houppert provides a structural and thematic overview of Endimion.
Endimion is Lyly's comedy of ideas. Except for some antics, the play offers little action: Dipsas cast...
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In the following excerpt, Jusserand explores Lyly's success and credits it to his "bad style," earnest sermonizing, and his appeal to female readers—writing eloquently of t...
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In the following essay, Gohlke describes Euphues as an example of mannerist art, written with "deliberately obstructive qualities" which challenge its readers to interpet meanings and re...
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In the following excerpt, McCabe describes how Lyly demonstates that Euphues's wit hinders his self-knowledge and is ultimately destructive.
Discussing Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit, C. S. Lew...
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In the following excerpt, Bond praises Lyly for his constant attention to form, and examines his writing style, its sources, and its influence on Shakespeare and other writers.
…Euphuism,1 t...
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In the following excerpt from an essay originally published in 1905, Wilson explains the importance of Euphues in literary history, discussing Lyly's emphasis on diction, precision, and lucidit...
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In the following excerpt, Wolff traces Lyly's source for Euphues to Giovanni Boccaccio's Tito and Gisippo, and then continues his exploration of Lyly's derivations.
John Lyly1
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In the following excerpt, Croll examines the main characteristics of euphuism, particularly its use of sound patterns, and offers background on the humanistic movement during Lyly's era.
I
Wh...
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In the following excerpt, Wolff considers the various influences on Euphues, including Puritanism. The critic downplays Lyly's importance as an influence on later writers, but praises his comed...
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In the following essay, King examines the formal attributes of Lyly's arguments in Euphues.
Study of Elizabethan rhetoric often seems to balance upon two "indispensables": some...
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In the following essay, Barish contends that Lyly's novels and plays are stylistically linked by his use of parallel sequences and logicality.
Lyly's prose style, especially that of E...
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In the following excerpt, Helgerson analyzes the character of Euphues, whom he deems "one of the most consistently unsympathetic figures in English literature."
In 1595, seventeen yea...
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John Lyly
Critical Essay by Arthur F. Kinney
