Literary Devices 4 aphorism Apollonian apostrophe and archetype for Web page

20 Pages·2016·0.83 MB·English

aphorism, apollonian,
apostrophe, and archetype
Aphorism

a terse saying embodying a general truth,
or astute observation

concise,
What is a synonym for

terse? brief and pithy

Example: “Power tends to corrupt, and

absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
~Lord Acton
British historian, politician, and writer
Aphorism

Morrie likes to make up
aphorisms, like this wise
quote: "Learn how to
live, and you'll know how
to die; learn how to die,
and you'll know how to
live."

Tuesdays with Morrie
by Mitch Albom
Early to bed and early to
rise, makes a man

healthy, wealthy, and
wise.
If you would not be
forgotten
As soon as you are dead
and rotten,
Either write things worthy
reading,
Or do things worth the
writing.
More Aphorisms
Apollonian
[ap-uh-loh-nee-uhn]

having the properties of or preferring
classic beauty; it refers to the most
noble, godlike qualities of human
nature and behavior.

“In literary terms, Apollonian is the order,

while Dionysian is the chaos.”

Compare to Dionysian.
Apollonian and Dionysian: The two impulses
believed to guide authors of dramatic tragedy.
The Apollonian impulse is named after Apollo,
the Greek god of light and beauty and the
symbol of intellectual order.

The Dionysian impulse is named after Dionysus, the
Greek god of wine and the symbol of the unrestrained
forces of nature. The Apollonian impulse is to
create a rational, harmonious world, while the
Dionysian is to express the irrational forces of
personality.
Apollo Dionysus
sun earth
ego = the organized, realistic part
ego id
id = set of uncoordinated instinctual trends
psyche eros

stoic Epicurean
The chart lists antitheses that
mind heart
reason emotion may apply to real as well as
thinking feeling literary personalities. Some
order chaos
careful qualifications are in
restraint excess
order. The words in the two
male female
columns are not "good" or "bad."
hierarchy equality
science art Rather, they represent poles at
system spontaneity
the ends of a continuum of
compulsiveness impulsiveness
behavior toward which most
city country
people most of the time display
classicism romanticism
a tendency.
civilization nature
EXAMPLE in LITERATURE and FILM

For example, the novel/film The Exorcist begins with a
mother and daughter living the suburbs, where there is a
very order lifestyle and where everything makes sense
(Apollonian). When the sounds of the animal-like roar are
heard, order transitions into chaos (Dionysian). Sweet Regan
was taken over by something darker, and Father Karras and
Father Merrin come to her rescue, performing the exorcism.
Order does not come back into play until the end when the
beast has been defeated and a drained Regan is placed in
the back of a car.