Theophrastus  

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'''Theophrastus''' ([[371 BC|371]] – c. [[287 BC]]), a native of [[Eressos]] in [[Lesbos Island|Lesbos]], was the successor of [[Aristotle]] in the [[Peripatetic]] school. His interests were wide-ranging, extending from [[biology]] and [[physics]] to [[ethics]] and [[metaphysics]]. His two surviving [[botanical]] works, ''Enquiry into Plants'' and ''On the Causes of Plants'', were an important influence on [[medieval]] [[science]]. There are also surviving works ''On Moral Characters'', ''On Sensation'', ''On Stones'', and fragments on ''Physics'' and ''Metaphysics''. In philosophy, he studied [[grammar]] and [[language]], and continued Aristotle's work on [[logic]]. He also regarded [[space]] as the mere arrangement and position of bodies, [[time]] as an accident of motion, and [[motion]] as a necessary consequence of all activity. In [[ethics]], he regarded [[happiness]] as depending on external influences as well as on [[virtue]], and famously said that "life is ruled by fortune, not wisdom." He succeeded [[Aristotle]] at the [[Lyceum]]. '''Theophrastus''' ([[371 BC|371]] – c. [[287 BC]]), a native of [[Eressos]] in [[Lesbos Island|Lesbos]], was the successor of [[Aristotle]] in the [[Peripatetic]] school. His interests were wide-ranging, extending from [[biology]] and [[physics]] to [[ethics]] and [[metaphysics]]. His two surviving [[botanical]] works, ''Enquiry into Plants'' and ''On the Causes of Plants'', were an important influence on [[medieval]] [[science]]. There are also surviving works ''On Moral Characters'', ''On Sensation'', ''On Stones'', and fragments on ''Physics'' and ''Metaphysics''. In philosophy, he studied [[grammar]] and [[language]], and continued Aristotle's work on [[logic]]. He also regarded [[space]] as the mere arrangement and position of bodies, [[time]] as an accident of motion, and [[motion]] as a necessary consequence of all activity. In [[ethics]], he regarded [[happiness]] as depending on external influences as well as on [[virtue]], and famously said that "life is ruled by fortune, not wisdom." He succeeded [[Aristotle]] at the [[Lyceum]].
 +===The Characters===
 +His book ''The Characters'', if it is indeed his, deserves a separate mention. The work contains thirty brief, vigorous and trenchant outlines of moral types, which form a most valuable picture of the life of his time, and in fact of human nature in general. They are the first recorded attempt at systematic [[stock character|character writing]]. The book has been regarded by some as an independent work; others incline to the view that the sketches were written from time to time by Theophrastus, and collected and edited after his death; others, again, regard the ''Characters'' as part of a larger systematic work, but the style of the book is against this. Theophrastus has found many imitators in this kind of writing, notably [[Joseph Hall|Hall]] (1608), [[Sir Thomas Overbury]] (1614–16), [[John Earle|Bishop Earle]] (1628) and [[Jean de La Bruyère]] (1688), who also translated the ''Characters''. [[George Eliot]] also took inspiration from Theophrastus' Characters, most notably in her book of caricatures, [[Impressions of Theophrastus Such]]. Writing the "[[character sketch]]" as a scholastic exercise also originated in Theophrastus's typology.
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Theophrastus (371 – c. 287 BC), a native of Eressos in Lesbos, was the successor of Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. His interests were wide-ranging, extending from biology and physics to ethics and metaphysics. His two surviving botanical works, Enquiry into Plants and On the Causes of Plants, were an important influence on medieval science. There are also surviving works On Moral Characters, On Sensation, On Stones, and fragments on Physics and Metaphysics. In philosophy, he studied grammar and language, and continued Aristotle's work on logic. He also regarded space as the mere arrangement and position of bodies, time as an accident of motion, and motion as a necessary consequence of all activity. In ethics, he regarded happiness as depending on external influences as well as on virtue, and famously said that "life is ruled by fortune, not wisdom." He succeeded Aristotle at the Lyceum.

The Characters

His book The Characters, if it is indeed his, deserves a separate mention. The work contains thirty brief, vigorous and trenchant outlines of moral types, which form a most valuable picture of the life of his time, and in fact of human nature in general. They are the first recorded attempt at systematic character writing. The book has been regarded by some as an independent work; others incline to the view that the sketches were written from time to time by Theophrastus, and collected and edited after his death; others, again, regard the Characters as part of a larger systematic work, but the style of the book is against this. Theophrastus has found many imitators in this kind of writing, notably Hall (1608), Sir Thomas Overbury (1614–16), Bishop Earle (1628) and Jean de La Bruyère (1688), who also translated the Characters. George Eliot also took inspiration from Theophrastus' Characters, most notably in her book of caricatures, Impressions of Theophrastus Such. Writing the "character sketch" as a scholastic exercise also originated in Theophrastus's typology.




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