Persius Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Mark Morford

Critical Essay by Mark Morford

SOURCE: Morford, Mark. “The Style of Persius.” In Persius, pp. 73-96. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1984.

In the following excerpt, Morford praises Persius's style for its memorable metaphors, wide vocabulary, and colorful language.

General Considerations

Style is inseparable from moral values. This is the theme of Persius's first satire, and it is the foundation of the fifth. For the satirist how he expresses himself is integral with what he says. The foregoing survey of the six satires has therefore involved many observations on Persius's style in passing; we may now turn our attention to it both for its own sake and as an instrument for Persius's expression of his character and moral teaching. Persius himself says a good deal about satirical style, especially in the prologue, the first, and the fifth satires, and it is with these that we shall be especially concerned.

Persius has the reputation of being obscure and difficult. In...
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