Euphuism

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Euphuism is a peculiar mannered style of English prose. It takes its name from a prose romance by John Lyly. It consists of a preciously ornate and sophisticated style, employing a deliberate excess of literary devices such as antitheses, alliterations, repetitions and rhetorical questions. Classical learning and remote knowledge of all kinds are displayed. Euphuism was fashionable in the 1580s, especially in the Elizabethan court. Its origins can be traced back to Spanish writer Antonio de Guevara, whose ornate, manierist courtesan prose became very popular throughout Europe, and whose work The Clock of the Princes, translated into English in 1557 by Thomas North, reached its peak in popularity during Elizabeth I's reign.