Encomium
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- warm praise, especially a formal expression of such praise; a tribute
- I rejoined our people, and expected a reprimand for having forced the enemy without orders; though I had my excuse ready. But here I was mistaken; for I met with nothing but encomiums. — M. Le Page Du Pratz, "History of Louisiana" (PG), p. 39
Encomium is a Latin word deriving from the Classical Greek ἐγκώμιον (encomion) meaning the praise of a person or thing. Related to this general meaning, "encomium" also identifies several distinct aspects of rhetoric:
- A general category of oratory
- A method within rhetorical pedagogy
- A figure of speech. As a figure, encomium means praising a person or thing, but occurring on a smaller scale than an entire speech.
- The eighth exercise in the progymnasmata series
- A genre of literature that included five elements: prologue, birth and upbringing, acts of the person's life, comparisons used to praise the subject, and an epilogue.
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Famous encomia
- Gorgias's Encomium of Helen is one of the most famous historical encomia. In it, Gorgias offers several justifications for excusing Helen of Troy's adultery—notably, that she was persuaded by speech, which is a "powerful lord" or "powerful drug" depending on the translation.
- A kind of encomium is used by the Christian writer Paul in his praise of love in 1 Corinthians 13. The prologue is verses 1-3, acts are v. 4-7, comparison is v. 8-12, and epilogue is 13:13-14:1. (From David E. Garland, Baker Exegetical Commentary, 1 Corinthians, 606, based on the work of Sigountos.)
- In Erasmus's Praise of Folly, Folly composes an encomium to herself. It is an ironic encomium because being praised by Folly is backwards praise; therefore, Folly praising herself is an ironic conundrum.
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See also
- De Pippine regis Victoria Avarica, a medieval encomium of victory of Pepin of Italy over the Avars
- Encomium Emmae, a medieval encomium of Queen Emma of Normandy
- Versum de Mediolano civitate, a medieval encomium of Milan
- Versus de Verona, a medieval encomium of Verona
- Polychronion
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