 Title page of Euphues, c. 1578. | |
| Author | John Lyly |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Language | Early Modern English |
| Genre | Romance |
Publication date | 2 December 1578 |
| 823.2 | |
| LC Class | PR2302 .E8 |
Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit /ˈjuːfjuːiːz/, a didactic romance written by John Lyly, was entered in the Stationers' Register 2 December 1578 and published that same year.
It was followed by Euphues and his England, registered on 25 July 1579, but not published until Spring of 1580.
The name Euphues is derived from Greek ευφυής (euphuēs) meaning "graceful, witty."
Lyly adopted the name from Roger Ascham's The Scholemaster, which describes Euphues as a type of student who is "apte by goodness of witte, and appliable by readiness of will, to learning, hauving all other qualities of the mind and parts of the body, that must an other day serue learning, not troubled, mangled, and halfed, but sound, whole, full & able to do their office" (194). Lyly's mannered style is characterized by parallel arrangements and periphrases.[1]
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.[2][3]
There have been literary references to Euphues as follows: