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2 Cards in this Set
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Periphrasis
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an indirect, roundabout method of stating ideas; the application of the old conviction that the "longest way 'round is the shortest way home." A periphrasis is an elegant variation of words. When used with restraint, periphrasis can be a successful device, but it might be overdone (too verbose). A great example of this is Caedmons Hymn by Bede (673-735). The very fact that there are many names of God is a periphrasis. The periphrastic nature of the poem attributes many different qualities of god by giving him so many names. This is appropriate because if you name god, you limit/pinpoint him and you cannot do that.
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Lofgeornost
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The term lofgeornost means "keenest to win fame." The term is connected to the story of Beowulf, one of the oldest of the great long poems written in English. Beowulf himself is "keenest to win fame" because in the culture of the time, which was around the 8th century, men did things based on a bragging basis. It was part of a shame/guilt based culture in which men bragged and then had to follow through with their words. Killing men was laudable in that time, and so Beowulf's desire to kill Grendel is something that he did to seek out fame.
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