![]() Those who learn this art have practiced contracting an idea to its briefest statement, and then expanding it to its fullest scope, “first compressing the subject to such an extent that you can subtract nothing, and then enriching and expending it so that nothing can be added.” (298) In fact, he says, the best defense against such errors is learning the art of abundance, because he who can expand can also contract. 295)įrom this second sentence on, Erasmus constantly includes warnings against glibness and word-mongering. ![]() They pile up a meaningless heap of words and expressions without any discrimination, and thus obscure the subject they are talking about, as well as belabouring the ears of their unfortunate audience.” (p. We find that a good many mortal men who make great efforts to achieve this godlike power of speech fall instead into mere glibness, which is both silly and offensive. Yet the pursuit of speech like this involves considerable risk…. But he also warns, in the very next sentence, that the goal is not abundance for its own sake, and that cultivating this style has its dangers: In his classic opening sentence, Erasmus points to the goal of his instruction: “The speech of man is a magnificent thing when it surges along like a golden river, with thoughts and words pouring out in rich abundance.” He wants to train speakers and writers in the abundant style, so they can wield this magnificent power of spoken abundance. It was popular enough to be pirated, to give rise to summaries, to be circulated in the form of excerpts, and to spawn commentaries. Generations of readers have known this: De Copia was used as a textbook for rhetoric and composition throughout northern Europe in Erasmus’ lifetime. It’s a really helpful exercise in developing a style that is rich and full. The book in question –originally published as De duplici copia verborum ac rerum Commentarii duo, and available in English in volume 24 of his Collected Works as Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style (translated and annotated by Betty I. I had heard that Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536) wrote a book showing hundreds of ways to say “thanks for your letter,” so I went and looked it up, just to see what one of the Renaissance’s prime movers was thinking when he did that. Essay / Education The Abundant Style of Erasmus ![]()
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